10 Game-Changing Shopify Shipping Apps: Increase E-commerce Success in 2023
Do you need help to check your Shopify store’s shipping process in your browser? Many others besides you do. Efficient shipping today is life and death for e-commerce in 2023. Hence, we have a list of 10 unique Shopify shipping apps that can turn around your online business.
Both real-time shipping rates and international support are the chief advantages of these applications, as well as the fact that they are suitable for companies of all sizes. Regardless of whether you are a newbie to Shopify merchants or one of the big guys in the market, you will be able to pick from these apps which will help you achieve the following:
Optimize your shipping method.
- Resort to the shipping method that costs less.
- Use the better return and warranty policies for the customers that you acquire.
- Push sales and attraction to repeat customers.
- Want to explode your e-commerce endeavors? Great! Enter a dazzling list of Shopify shipping apps and see how they will turn the world of e-commerce for you in 2023.
Importance of Shipping Apps for E-commerce Success
With digital commerce taking over the world, many online e-commerce shops are springing up left, right, and center. If you are a business owner or a shopkeeper, you know that shipping may be the driving piece of the whole machine, allowing you to win your customers over the internet seamlessly. The truth of the matter is you are dead, correct? One would have invited thousands of customers through catchy presentations and attractive websites. In such a case, it is necessary to ship your products to your customers efficiently. They consider it an aid, but they are working as agents of the customer in the front to ship the packages from their hands to their customers and keep them happy.
Now, imagine that you have a small business selling handmade jewelry. Without incorporating the shipping aspect, you might have to spend hours manually counting value, printing labels, and tracking the goods. The throttle of the ship seemed to be set to complete. It was very uncomfortable.
You may be correct, but this solution will eliminate your effort in manual processes. The software tool generates the label and provides various choices for the customer. In the meantime, the consumer is overwhelmed by a sense of happiness when they receive a custom-made shipment of top-quality earthenware from your bright young business.
Not only does this automate the process, but it can also help a business increase its customer base. For example, a large number of new customers are attracted to your store, which sells a variety of eco-friendly water bottles. With shipping applications, you can give free shipping on orders over $50, encouraging customers to add extra items to their cart. You provide them with a discount and drive up the average order value.
Key Takeaways:
The naming of the shipping apps that have contributed the most to the e-commerce success would be shipping apps, especially apps that give free shipping, rate-shopping, batch-processing, and others.
They offer automation, brand expansion, and customer satisfaction as the main benefits of e-commerce products and services.
Real-Time Shipping Rates Calculation
Have you ever been surprised at getting an extra high shipping cost at the checkout? The feeling of frustration is mutual with your clients.
Calculating real-time shipping rates is a really new direction for your online store. It is as if you were given a crystal ball that can accurately predict shipping costs for every item.
Here’s what it looks like:
A customer fills up a basket with items.
The shipping app immediately determines shipping cost based on the weight, size, and destination.
Before definite shipping cost before the customer e, they complete their order.
So, there are no surprises. In this light, the situation is as follows: a customer in New York adds a dinner table to his order while another one in California does the same. Through real-time calculation, they will see their own tailor-made shipping cost based on where they are.
This openness of the cost structure is suitable for trust. People have some confidence in the transaction since the seller does not hide any trick to fool the buyer. Besides, it helps you avoid undercharging for shipping, which might swallow your profits.
💡 Key Takeaways:
Real-time rate quote processing offers transparency, builds trust, and improves the company’s and customers’ pricing accuracy.
International Shipping Support
Are you ready for the new trend of globalizing your business? The shipping-to-door strategy involves sending your visa all over the planet.
You sell iPhone accessories locally, a local bestseller, and are doing a great job, but why stop at that? What if you sell the item to customers everywhere in the world? A good shipping option helps you deliver fast food to a cafe, kids’ entertainment to newly married couples, or the best kids’ toys in the universe. You might be deceiving all of them and not even know it. The truth is that different countries have different laws. Thus, one will find it challenging to be the pace-setter without legal constraints.
This is when a good shipping app can help. It is like walking through the maze of international shipping with someone who knows it like the back of their hand.
These apps provide:
Calculation of customs fees and taxes.
- I am creating performing customs forms.
- We offer delivery methods to customers.
For example, a customer in Australia orders a scarf from you. The app automatically calculates the shipping cost and estimated arrival time and, if needed, converts the currency for you.
Because the industry is narrower, you can also go further in shipping your product or service to other territories, which owes back to reducing the complexity of cross-border sales transactions. Countries have different rules, so you maneuver like a blind person in a maze.
💡 Key Takeaways:
International shipping support expands your customer base globally while simplifying the complex process of cross-border sales.
Customizable Shipping Rules
The e-commerce shipping platform has developed into more than a one-fits-all model. Customizable shipping rules are the new fad in the business world.
This arrangement functions like a playbook and permits the owner to change the shipping technique to suit the commercial and client’s unique demands.
To wit, assume you handle an online bakery. Maybe one of your plans is to: Whether this is a weekend free of shipping charges or the transportation of a physical product shipment on a quick express delivery to open up a potential new business, e.g., a shipment of the customer’s product is allocated to the customer…
- Get free shipping on orders over $50.00
- Use express shipping for perishable items.
- Add a handling fee for gift wrapping.
You can utilize customizable shipping rules to add all these unique features.
Here is a real-life parallel:
The sale of artisanal chocolates is a case in point. During hot weather, you may have to utilize special cooling packaging on orders that go to hot areas. With custom rules, you can automatically add this packaging (and its cost) to orders that go to hot regions in the summer.
These rules are specific to small businesses and suitable for large companies. For example, shipping rates can be set up for wholesale vs. retail customers.
The hand rests. It will continue its work without you worrying about it. The software runs the process for you. It is like a 24/7 assistant that handles shipping.
💡 Key Takeaways:
Using customized shipping rules is a way of developing a tailored shipping strategy that meets the business and customers’ special needs and thus promotes a better customer experience.
Inventory Management Integration.
Consider yourself fortunate. You manage a small soap company in the e-commerce industry that supplies handmade soap bars. The management Team is thrilled to announce that a new lavender soap line performs quite well. However, wait a minute. Should you overload the production line because of the huge demand? Do you have enough soap to satisfy all the orders?
Is it not good not to offer same-day delivery but to give your customers the exact delivery time since that is what you are doing? This step eliminates the need for customers to return calls to inquire about the package’s whereabouts.
Even more advanced software can handle inventory management and reordering aspects simultaneously. In one such instance, the vendor may identify that the stock for lily soap, a seasonal product for the summer, has fallen below the threshold and thus automatically place an order with one of your suppliers. Automation in stock management does the trick. Besides, it prompts organizations to concentrate on the operations they are best at, such as producing the best products and developing several of the most innovative solutions that add to overall growth.
💡 Key Takeaways:
Inventory management integration ensures real-time stock updates, prevents overselling, and automates reordering processes for efficient business operations.
Branded Shipping Materials
Did you ever receive a parcel that you could not wait to open? The branded shipping materials are the ones with such an effect.
Look at your shipping box as a small billboard for your brand on wheels. It’s not just a box; it’s your brand’s representation in the marketplace.
Let’s assume you are a manufacturer of eco-friendly water bottles. The package is in a brown recycled box, the closure is a small green sticker with your logo on it, and at the bottom, there is a ‘thank you’ message also printed on a piece of biodegradable paper. Your customers can plant the seed of the paper, and it will turn into a tree. The typical message, both external to the bow and inside, and the delivery is fantastic.
Brand materials for shipping also help you to:
- Strengthen your brand identity.
- Create a memorable, afresh boxing experience.
- Turn one-time buyers into brand advocates.
The reality is that, between pins in interactive pinboards and recycling boxes into other merchandise, everyone has introduced an unseen yet very effective element of viral marketing called “unboxing.”
Moreover, one should pay attention to the package image, not only the product. How the packaging appears is the first moment of truth your customers will have with your brand, so ensure the packaging is perfect!
💡 Key Takeaways:
Branded shipping materials make your package a powerful marketing tool, solidifying the company’s image and customer experience.
Enhanced Tracking and Notifications
Have you ever been in a situation where you buy something online and see yourself with your mobile phone or laptop checking the order tracking page every other minute? The same behavior is for the customers when they are unsatisfied.
Tracking and notifications are the ones that can transform your branding from a monotonous transaction into a customer’s story and make the experience memorable so that people will not forget you that easily.
They can be used as such:
- Order placed: “Great! Your order is being prepared now!”
- Order shipped: “Your package has been dispatched and is coming to you!”
- In transit: “Your package is now in [City]. Estimated time of delivery: [Date].”
- Out for delivery: “Your package is scheduled for arrival today!”
Delivered: “The product has just reached your place. Please take it with cheer!”
Depending on customer preferences, companies can send these updates via email, SMS, or even WhatsApp.
For example, you are trading hand-crafted candles, and a customer orders a scented one for her mom’s birthday in a week. With advanced tracking, she will know the delivery time, and once it arrives, she will have it for the birthday party next week.
Getting the delivery period is more than just good customer service; it is part of the user experience. The communication benefits of this are two-fold: apart from the customers getting satisfied for not having to question where the order is, you can now give more time to other movements in your business.
💡 Key Takeaways:
Enhanced tracking and notifications offer customers immediate updates, improve transparency, and reduce inquiries for customer service.
Cost Savings Through Optimized Shipping Strategies
Competition is the most apparent feature of the business environment, and every dollar saved is paramount. This is where shipment optimization steps in as a savior in the battle with spare expenses, leading to revenue arrivals.
It is the same as some weight loss programs. The shipping cost is the fat that has to be shed, and the app is the program that helps you to run lean and rightly save lots of dough on the conveyor belt.
The following are some of the offerings from shipping apps:
Rate Shopping: The tool lets one find the most competitive shipping rates from various haulers just by typing some data and pressing [Submit].
Order Consolidation: The software checks for one or more orders of the same item at the same delivery address and then ships them in a combined package to save on shipping.
Bulk Shipping is a scheme in which if you deliver a large number of items at once, the price for that delivery will be reduced to the price every item would otherwise cost.
Packaging Optimization: Suggest the most suitable, cost-effective packaging based on the item’s dimensions.
In the case of jewelry vending, more optimization can be implemented; in this way, the shopkeeper will stick with the patterns he is already used to, chucking out fiat. Using a leet shipping strategy, you would have a chance to accomplish the following presentations:
- Gather the orders of one customer and then send them in one go.
- Use padded envelopes for the smaller items.
- Unlock more bulk shipping discounts.
This set of methods will result in much smaller expenses that can either be used to move the company forward via product development or decrease prices. There is no need to guess; you win in any case! You can decide whether the new money will be set aside, spent on new features via more marketing, or reduced to the current price against equal competitors.
Note that any spared shipping funds get into the budget, increasing the money available for product development, marketing improvements, or market competition.
💡 Key Takeaways:
Optimized shipping strategies can reduce costs through techniques such as order consolidation and package optimization, bringing about a direct improvement.
They are improving customers, which is essential in effectively improving and running smoothly and effectively. Revenue from one-time purchases is low, but care attention, loyalty, and repeat purchasing, which depend on recurring customers, are supported.
Are you a customer who remembers the failure of a company to deliver a shipment right or on time? Would such a company remain with a good review from you? Indeed, the opposite would happen.
Let us take the event scenario below:
You need public footwear. You learn that the product status is persistently known, and you receive it even ahead of time. The box the product comes in is majestic and branded impeccably, and the customer gets a thank-you note and a discount code for their next purchase.
- The customer has a great experience and remains the story’s primary character; the supplier, in turn, facilitates selling experiences rather than simple commodities.
- Shipping apps can help:
- Issue precise Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) to the customers.
Supply real-time tracking information.
- Be proactive on possible delays and communicate them upfront to the customers.
- Have an easy, straightforward procedure for product returns.
- These features not only make clients contented but also win their loyalty. Moreover, loyal customers always do the following things:
- Post on social media with positive feedback.
- Tell their friends about your store.
- Join your loyalty program.
- They return as a customer.
The analogy, which could be challenging, is that you master the quality of the product you offer on a level similar to the customer’s experience, the approach to shipping, and how the shipping process manages your relations with customers. As benchmarks for the user experience, both these factors are porting entities of your brand image to the customer;
💡 Key Takeaways:
Efficient logistics considerably enhance customer satisfaction, thus providing the basis for achieving such benefits as increased customer loyalty and better reviews.