If you’re in the e-commerce game, you know that a certain amount of returns is inevitable – especially around the holidays. FedEx^® return shipping services make it easy to manage customer returns. Here are a few of the return services you can take advantage of:

FedEx Print Return Label
With this option you can create and print a return label with FedEx Ship Manager^®, and then include it either in the original shipment to your customer or in a separate correspondence. No charges are assessed until the label is used. 

FedEx Email Return Label
Instead of printing the return label and sending it to your customer, you can simply have it emailed. The customer receives an email with a link and barcode which allows them to access the label and print it themselves if needed. 

FedEx Express® Billable Stamps
FedEx Express Billable Stamps take the place of airbills and the recipient's information is conveniently preprinted on the stamp. No charges are assessed until the stamp is used. 

FedEx Express^® Prepaid Stamps
These prepaid labels allow you to allocate shipping costs and specify a FedEx delivery service upfront, letting you control and plan for return costs.

FedEx Ground^® Package Returns Program
FedEx Ground Package Returns Program simplifies returns for your customers. You provide your customer with a preprinted return label and they can schedule the pickup, without being charged a pickup fee. 

FedEx Express Tag^®
For express shipments, FedEx will create and deliver return shipping labels to your customer and collect the item for return. You can then schedule the express return pickup. 

FedEx Ground^® Call Tag
With this ground return pickup option, FedEx creates and delivers the return label to your customer, and then collects the item for the ground return pickup.

Through an association shipping program managed by PartnerShip, you can receive exclusive discounts on select FedEx services. If you belong to an association we work with, take advantage of our free shipping benefits today. If you’re not sure if you qualify for one of our FedEx small package shipping programs, contact us and we’ll find the solution that’s right for you.

FedEx and UPS rates are increasing in 2020! Make sure you know what to expect so you can mitigate the impact to your bottom line. Our free white paper breaks down where you'll find the highest increases and explains some of the complicated changes you need to be aware of.

Small Business Trends recently posted an interesting article about benchmarks you should be using to evaluate your ecommerce strategy. Shipping is a significant component of the online retail process, and many of these benchmarks touch on this. Here are a few questions you should be asking yourself about your ecommerce shipping strategy. These benchmarks are based on data from the E-Tailing Group’s 17th Annual Mystery Shopping Study, which surveyed 100 top retail websites for their best practices. To get some insight from the customer side we also took a look at the UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper Global Study, conducted by comScore. 

How easy is your shopping cart to use and edit? Is make-or-break information such as shipping costs presented before the end of the process? Can the customer save key information securely?

It’s a good idea to be transparent about your shipping costs upfront. 63% of consumers say it’s important to provide estimated delivery date and shipping costs early in the shopping process. Not doing so could lead to cart abandonment. In fact, 50% of consumers abandoned a cart due to lengthy delivery times or when no delivery date was provided.

98% of retailers surveyed offer the ability to pre-populate information from a customer’s profile, including shipping address, credit card info, and billing address, which allows shoppers to check out faster. Additionally, 51% of shoppers say it’s important for retailers to “remember me” by not only saving order information, but also saving unpurchased items in their cart from a previous session as well.

How long does it take to receive orders? What types of shipping options do you offer and for what prices?

The average delivery time is 3.42 days for the top retailers in this survey. Shoppers are surprisingly willing to wait for most deliveries but also want the option for expedited service. 85% of online shoppers will wait 5 days or more for delivery, while 7 days is the average time shoppers are willing to wait for delivery.

How easy are returns? Is there a charge for returns or are shipping costs covered?

64% of retailers provide prepaid return shipping labels to make it more convenient for customers to make returns. 68% of shoppers say free returns shipping is key to a positive returns experience. On top of that, 52% of consumers want to see a return label right in the box. Taking these extra steps can influence a customer to pull the trigger on a purchase and also positively impact their overall satisfaction.

These benchmarks are a good starting point to assess where your ecommerce site ranks among some of the top retailers in the industry. If you’re looking to improve your online store, evaluating your shipping processes can be very beneficial. PartnerShip is here to help you determine the best way to manage your shipping and be more efficient. Click here for a free shipping analysis.

For the typical independent retailer that's selling physical products and has an e-commerce presence, shipping is often an afterthought. While shipping is not as flashy or as sexy as creating marketing promotions and campaigns, it does directly affect your bottom line. Retailers that don't adhere to best practices run the risk of lost sales due to higher prices, or lost profits due to higher shipping costs. To ensure you're not leaving money on the table, here are five tips to consider:

1. Manage your shipping supplies expense. Most of the small package carriers provide free, basic shipping supplies to encourage usage of their services. For example, FedEx provides free shipping materials and labels that can be ordered online. For specialized boxes and mailers, shop around a little to make sure you are getting the right quantities at the best prices. PartnerShip is another good source for low-volume, discounted shipping supplies.

2. Consolidate orders to reduce shipping expenses. As a general rule of thumb, one big order ships for less than three smaller orders. That means retailers should consider consolidating multiple orders into a single shipment whenever possible, and always striving to minimize the number of packages it sends. All too often, shipments are arranged as they come in from sales or order processing. However, a little planning and visibility goes along ways towards shipping savings.

3. Look at for multiple carrier options. Different transportation carriers specialize in different types of services, package sizes, and geographies. Selling mainly low-value, smaller products? A service like FedEx Ground or FedEx Express Saver might be the way to go. Selling larger or heavier products? Your best bet is probably to use a reputable freight carrier. Working with a third-party freight management company often allows you to look at multiple carrier and service options through one website. For example, PartnerShip.com allows retailers to compare rates and services across multiple freight carriers and options.

4. Effectively handle customs documentation. International shipments require customs forms that can seem daunting to complete for retailers that only occassionally ship out of the country. Third-party logistics companies, like PartnerShip, can work with retailers that ship international shipments infrequently to ensure all of the needed paperwork is completed so that their cross-border shipments move efficiently and cost-effectively.

5. Use technology to be more efficient. To remain competitive with large retail chains and other e-commerce retailers, online tools and services are available to help independent retailers manage their inventories, consolidate orders, track shipments, and even complete in new marketplaces.  Make sure you are talking to your peers or suppliers through an industry association or local business chamber to find tools and services others are using to gain efficiencies in their business. By leveraging technology, retailers can meet the fulfillment and shipping requirements of every market in which they compete.

Shipping will never be as exciting as product launches, cool promotions, or a new website, but it is a part of the core foundation of a successful independent retail business. Retailers that proactively take advantage of services, tools and technology can significantly lower their shipping costs, become more competitive, and enjoy higher margins.

To take advantage of industry-leading shipping services and discounts, take a look at The Independent Retailers Shipping Program managed by PartnerShip. With 25 years of experience helping retailers with shipping, we are confident we can help you too.

Businesses are gearing up for the inevitable increase in traffic that comes with the busy holiday season. Luckily for shoppers, they no longer have to face long lines and crowded parking lots to get their shopping done during this busy time — they can choose to do it all online.

In the past several years, Cyber Monday has been catching up to Black Friday in popularity, offering consumers an alternative way to get the best deals while crossing names off their —nice list.' Online retailers have undoubtedly already begun preparing for Cyber Monday by ramping up marketing efforts and making sure their websites can handle the increased traffic.

If you're one of the businesses gearing up for Cyber Monday and the rest of the holiday season, it's important to not forget the basics of optimizing the online shopping experience for your customers. Shipping is a very important component of the online sale process and a key part to your ecommerce success. Here are some shipping best practices to keep in mind:

• Be transparent. Include shipping costs on the product page, instead of hiding them behind a login page, and give extended information on what the customer can expect from each shipping option.

• Consider a free shipping strategy. You could provide free shipping at a minimum order price, offer free or reduced shipping to your best customers, or offer it for a limited time. For more ideas, check out How to Effectively Offer Free Shipping.

• Keep your customers in the loop. Arguably one of the biggest downfalls of online shopping is the waiting game, so let your customers know their order is in good hands. Email them a receipt confirmation of their order once they place it, notify them when it has shipped, and most importantly provide them with the tracking number.

• Make returns easy. There is an increased element of risk when shopping online. Consumers often worry What if it doesn't fit? or What if it doesn't work like I thought it would?. Give your customers the reassurance they need by presenting them with a simple and hassle-free return policy. Better yet, make that policy clear early on in the sale process to ease their nerves and ultimately help secure the sale.

• Reduce your overall shipping costs. Work with your shipping partners or 3PL (like PartnerShip) to ensure you are saving as much as possible on your shipping. You can pass on any savings you garner to your customers or use it to re-invest in your business. 

Implementing these basic best practices for shipping will provide you with a good foundation for the success of your online sales during this holiday season and beyond. PartnerShip can help you in all facets of your shipping and logistics — not only outbound to your customers, but also inbound from your suppliers. For a free shipping analysis click the button below.

If you've ever done any online shopping, you're probably familiar with those two little magical words — —free shipping!' As a consumer, it's great — who doesn't love free? But as a small business trying to find your place in the wide world of e-commerce, it can be a little intimidating. As free shipping becomes more common, many customers are now coming to expect it; creating a wide range of costs and benefits for retailers. However, many retailers have experienced benefits, including increases in sales and customer retention, that outweigh the costs.

There are several ways you can offer free shipping to your customers without sacrificing profits. Here are some options to consider:

• Provide free shipping at a minimum order price. Try providing free shipping at a minimum price point that's above your average order size. If you offer free shipping on orders over $50 for example, a customer who has $49.99 or less in their shopping cart is likely to purchase an additional item to reach that benchmark for the deal.
• Offer free shipping on orders for a limited time. With the holidays fast approaching, customers are looking for the best deals. Providing a short window of time for free shipping could be just the right trigger for a sale.
• Target your best customers. Instead of presenting the masses with free shipping, target a select group of customers you can email to increase lifetime value.
• Create a flat shipping rate. Customers like knowing what costs to expect when shopping online. There's nothing worse than filling up your shopping cart, expecting to pay a certain price, and getting slammed with higher-than-expected shipping costs at checkout.
• Use a one-time fee. Shipping clubs with an annual fee can be a great way to entice customers and drive customer loyalty. A good example of this is Amazon Prime. Customers pay an annual fee to shop on Amazon.com and receive unlimited free two-day shipping.
• Offer free shipping on special products. You can offer free shipping on products with higher profit margins, on products where you have excess inventory, or any special item you're looking to promote.
• Reduce your overall shipping costs. Work with your freight carriers or a 3PL (like PartnerShip) to ensure you are saving as much as possible on your shipping. Any additional savings you can garner will ensure you're overall profit margin is not negatively impacted by any free shipping promotions or offers.

Once you've decided how you want to offer free shipping to your customers, it's important to promote it. Use email marketing to announce it to your customers and advertise it on your website so when your customers are shopping, they can't miss it. Also, be sure to be very transparent about how to receive free shipping if you're not offering it on everything outright. If the customer has to complete an action (i.e. order at least $50, sign up for a shipping club, etc.), make it clear in the beginning what that action is.

Once you've implemented your free shipping strategy, make sure to measure it. Take a look at the costs including increased IT expenses, customer service issues, and your shipping expenses. If these costs outweigh the benefits (increased revenue and an increased customer lifetime value) you should re-evaluate. You may need to experiment with your tactics to find the one the works best for you.  

Through a PartnerShip association shipping program, you can save on select FedEx^® services for small package shipping and with LTL freight carriers for large shipments — savings that can be used to fund a free shipping offer to your customers. Want to learn how another business used free shipping to improve their bottom line? Click here to read a case study featuring a PartnerShip customer that used its PartnerShip savings to implement a free shipping strategy. To find out how PartnerShip can help you save on your shipping costs, click on button below for a free, no-obligation shipping analysis.