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.

Over the past year, we've written and shared a number of articles that contain tips and suggestions for those of you that are new to shipping. Since many of our current and future customers are owners or managers for small businesses, we know that shipping is just one of many responsibilities that you juggle each and every day. If you're new to PartnerShip, here is a "baker's dozen" collection of articles that may help you get started:

• Small Businesses Cope with Rising Shipping Costs
• New to LTL Shipping?
• Small Package versus LTL Freight
• 4 Ideas to Reduce Shipping Costs
• Consolidate Orders to Save on Shipping
• 3 Steps to Take Control of Your Inbound Shipping
• Vendor Prepaid versus Inbound Collect Shipping
• How to Calculate Freight Density
• What You Need to Know About Shipping Internationally
• 8 Excuses for Not Working with a 3PL Provider
• New to Trade Shows and Exhibit Transportation?
• Everything You Need to Know About an Exhibit Transportation Provider
• A Free Freight Analysis

Your freight shipment has been created, shipped, and tracked. The shipment has now arrived at its destination and you're ready to complete the final steps in the freight shipping process.

As you know from my two previous posts, PartnerShip has tailored its website to assist customers before and during shipping. We'll now provide you with some steps for after-shipping best practices.

Step #1: If the shipment was inbound, check for damaged or missing items.

As rare as it may occur, it's always a best practice to record and check shipments for shortages, damages, and concealed damages immediately upon delivery.

If you find an issue with your shipment, here are some guidelines for making sure the problem is properly documented:

• Always notify your vendor of short or damaged shipments
• Have the driver precisely document all exceptions on the delivery receipt
• Contact the carrier within 15 days of delivery date to report concealed shortages or damages
• Never pay for merchandise not received
• Always try to have your vendor file the LTL freight claim
• Claims must be filed within 9 months of delivery date (claims forms for PartnerShip carriers are in the Shipping Forms menu)
• If you have any questions, call your PartnerShip account representative and they will gladly help you with the freight claims process

Step #2: Pay your freight invoices.

If your shipment was sent 3^rd party billed through PartnerShip, you have the time-saving option of using PartnerShip.com to view, track and pay your Invoicing online. We've organized your open invoices for easy reference. The Invoicing tool allows you to view invoices by invoice number and pay invoices immediately with a credit card.

Once your invoices are paid, you can use Payment History to see all of your past invoice payments and transactions.

Step #3: Keep track of your freight shipments.

In my last post, you learned that using Shipment History on PartnerShip.com is a great way to view all shipments that are in transit. Now that your freight is no longer in transit, Shipment History is a great way to get a consolidated view of all shipments sent in the past. By using Shipment History as a reporting tool, you're able to search shipments by date and keep track of your shipment frequency and details in one report - no matter how many different freight carriers you may have used through PartnerShip.

You can also request a personalized Savings Report from PartnerShip.com for your company. Simply choose a monthly or yearly report type and click —submit. A PartnerShip representative will then provide you with a customized report showing you how much you've saved off of the carrier's base rates during that period of time.

There you have it! You've completed the shipping process and are ready to send another one! Remember, PartnerShip is always here to help you at any stage and with any type of shipment you may need to send. If you haven't already, be sure to click the below button to subscribe to the PartnerShip Connection Blog so you get future updates and tips.

If you find yourself traveling frequently for business — whether it is to meetings, conferences, or trade shows — you know that it can be a challenge to find the best way to transport your marketing collateral and materials. Sometimes you may require exhibit transportation services for your larger, palletized shipments, but other times you might just have display materials for a small booth or table. Before you try to stuff all of those materials into your suitcase, consider shipping them. 

Shipping to a conference or a meeting can be a cost-effective and convenient option to get your materials where they need to be. But where do you ship it to? Through FedEx, you can ship your package to a nearby FedEx Office store at no extra cost. There are many FedEx locations around the country — often times right around the corner from, if not in, your hotel or conference center. And if you are an enrolled member in a PartnerShip association shipping program, your FedEx discounts still apply to the shipment.

Gone are the days that you try to stuff your marketing collateral in your personal luggage or pay extra to check an additional bag! Not to mention, you don't have to worry about lugging another set of luggage around the airport and to your hotel or show site.

Watch the video below or follow these simple steps to benefit from this free service:

1. Find a FedEx Office location

2. Create your shipment

3. Select the option —hold at a FedEx location'

4. Pickup at your convenience

Going global with your business is a great opportunity for growth. Whether you've already taken your business overseas or have just started to dip your toes in the international waters, simplifying your shipping is essential for keeping your business afloat. Here's what you need to know about shipping internationally:

Find your markets
When you're selecting your international markets, there are several factors to consider. You may start off by selecting markets where you have local distribution connections or markets that have signed free trade agreements with the U.S. You may also think about staying within markets with a common language to avoid any cultural or language barrier issues.

As you continue to expand it's also important to be aware of the requirements and restrictions you will encounter. Each country has different restrictions or prohibitions that affect what commodities are allowed to be important and exported.

Some countries also have standards you must adhere to. For example, China uses the China Compulsory Certification Mark (CCC), whereas European countries conform to the Conformite Europeenne (CE). Products not meeting the particular standards in these markets may be held up by customs and will be subject to other penalties. Make sure you are aware of these restrictions and standards to avoid any unwanted hassles down the road.

As a helpful tool for researching your markets, FedEx provides Country Profiles that can give you detailed information on import and export restrictions, trade group information, prohibitions, standards, and more.

Prepare your documents
There is a great deal of documentation involved with shipping and selling a product internationally. The U.S. government requires export documentation and each importing country will have different requirements for import documentation.

What documentation you have to submit with your shipment depends mostly on where you are shipping to and what you are shipping. The primary shipping document for most international shipments is the International Air Waybill (IAWB). Other documents you may need will vary. Some other common documents include the Commercial Invoice, Certificate of Origin, and Electronic Export Information (EEI).

To help you determine what international documents you will need to complete, check out the FedEx International Document Assistance page.

Ship your products
When you have selected your markets, completed the necessary paperwork, and are finally ready to ship, it's important to select the right service at a low cost. It's also important to remember that things like duties, taxes, port handling fees and other customs charges will affect your cost. Saving money on your international shipments with a reliable carrier can make a world of difference. 

FedEx offers a number of services to fit all of your international shipping needs. Through an association shipping program, managed by PartnerShip, you can receive discounts on your international shipments with select FedEx services. PartnerShip works with over a hundred major trade associations, across many industries to provide their members with the money-saving tools to help them be successful. If you belong to an association we work with, take advantage of our free shipping benefits today - and save on your international shipping. If you're not sure if you qualify for one of our shipping programs contact us and we'll find the solution that's right for you.