Thanks to Shopify, you can quickly create and manage your e-commerce store without necessarily having technical knowledge. If you already have a Shopify store or want to launch your business, it is essential to take into account the management of your shipments.  In this article we will first see what are the advantages of getting started on Shopify and in more detail how to manage your parcel shipments. 

The benefits of Shopify for e-merchants

•  Quick and easy launch of an e-commerce site

You can launch your store immediately because Shopify is easy to use. The interface is very intuitive and does not require any prior technical knowledge. There are many free and paid designs and templates available to create an attractive store with a good user experience.

• Shopify users can customize and develop the platform 

The Shopify platform is a complete solution where you can access many additional applications and integrations on various interfaces. In addition, Shopify has a very strong technical infrastructure, which prevents server outages in the event of an increase in visits during major events of the year such as Black Friday, Cyber ​​Monday or Christmas.

How to manage Shopify shipments

This is a key part of your business that can affect your customers' opinion of your brand.

Shipping is a big expense for e-merchants and if you don't put the right strategy in place you run the risk of losing money on shipping.

The basics of a good delivery strategy

• Define your prices and shipping methods 

Do you charge your customers for shipping or do you offer free shipping? 

Offering your customers free shipping is an attractive option to retain them. Moreover, we know that shipping costs can represent a barrier to purchasing for a consumer. 

In this case, you have several options: For example, if you increase the prices of your products by offering free delivery, the customer will actually pay for the delivery. Let,You pay the full price of the delivery by deducting it from your margins. Finally, you slightly increase the prices of the products to partially cover the delivery costs. 

• Offer a discount code as well as free delivery

You can also try offering free shipping for a minimum order amount. 

This can help you increase your average basket and offset shipping costs. However, in this case, it is also you who pay the shipping costs by deducting them from your margins.

• Bill freight costs in real time

Another effective delivery strategy for managing your Shopify shipments is to charge real-time freight charges for the shipment. This allows your customers to choose and pay for the type of delivery they prefer. My Flying Box negotiates the prices with its partner carriers. Diversify your parcel shipments into: Standard delivery (home or relay point), store pickup (click and collect), express delivery (home or relay point).

Delivery by appointment is an option offered by several carriers such as Chronopost, DHL or Fedex.

We have partner contracts with national and international carriers. You can consult our carrier rates in the link below. 

• Offer local delivery 

Another possibility to consider is local delivery. Today it is possible for companies wishing to offer their customers a simple and efficient method of delivery close to their geographical area.

It allows customers who live near your point of sale to purchase products from your site and have them delivered to their homes.

On Shopify you can configure the local delivery option as the shipping method. This can help you reduce shipping costs and attract more local customers.

The ideal is to offer several carriers and delivery methods to give your customers choice. We recommend that you offer at least 3 or 4.

Calculate your shipping costs

All transport companies set delivery costs based on several factors, including:

• Package size
• The weight of the package
• The country of departure
• The destination country
• Additional shipping options like: delivery the next morning before 10 a.m., lcollected by the carrier or the deposit in the post office, the delivery in relay point, delivery against signature at home,  insurance etc

Indeed, for an e-merchant it is difficult to compare with precision the services of each carrier since they include different options. 

Knowing that if you ship multiple packages a day taking into account the time spent packing and shipping each order, it can quickly get boring and slow your business down. So maybe it is time to start to find a real solution to this problem. 

Centralize the dispatch of your shipments

To manage your shipments on Shopify, our solution is to centralize the dispatch of your shipments. On our online interface you can easily calculate according to the size, the weight of your package, the country of departure, destination etc. and compare the prices of the largest carriers and the different options available.

This will save you a tremendous amount of time in choosing the carrier, packaging and shipping of each order. Simply register on the MyFlyingbox platform for free and all without any commitment and start making your first shipment. 

Take out insurance for the shipment of your packages

Depending on the value of the package you are going to send, shipping insurance and a tracking option may provide security. At My Flying Box, you can take out insurance allowing you to have a guarantee, in case your package is lost or damaged. My Flying Box already includes free insurance that covers you up to an amount of € 50 including tax. 

But it is essential to take out insurance for items or products that are expensive. To add Ad Valorem insurance » will allow you to insure your parcels up to 100,000 €. 

Ask about customs formalities

If you are shipping internationally, to a country other than your own, you will need to find out about the current customs documentation. 

It is very important to educate yourself so that you know exactly what forms you will need to include with your package. These forms should be completed correctly to prevent your package from being detained by customs.

The forms allow customs officials in the importing country to know the contents of the package as well as the price etc. 

If you are sending to destinations outside the European Union, the CN22 and CN23 customs declarations are mandatory customs documents that must be presented. Regarding equipment and merchandise that are prohibited for international shipping, you can consult  the website of La Poste.