Online shopping has revolutionized retail. Similarly, one-day shipping has changed the way that online retail itself works. With more shipping options and faster deliveries, customers now want the items they purchased to be delivered to them as soon as possible.

As one-day shipping, along with next-day delivery and even same-day delivery, become more popular, online merchants must adapt quickly or risk being left behind. It’s not easy to offer one-day shipping services, particularly for SMBs with limited budgets and workforces. The added costs and increased delivery lead time pressure can certainly put a strain on any company, especially smaller ones. Nevertheless, it’s something that every eCommerce company needs to be actively exploring in this day and age!

Here’s a closer look at why one-day shipping is critical for eCommerce businesses and five tips to help your company not only survive but thrive in a one-day shipping world!

Why are the Benefits of One-Day Shipping for Online Merchants?

One-day shipping has been on every online merchants’ mind since Amazon announced free one-day shipping for Prime members in May 2019, but the writing has been on the wall well before that!

According to Forbes, 90 percent of online retailers already offer same-day delivery specifically, making for tough competition. However, one-day shipping, and faster shipping and delivery in general, offers many benefits for online merchants despite their added costs and workforce pressure.

Faster shipping means more conversions for your eCommerce business and makes your online store appear more attractive to potential shoppers.

One-day shipping can help you avoid unnecessary price wars with competitors as you focus on service rather than pricing. You can also increase the number of repeat customers your store receives and boost customer satisfaction, creating a virtuous cycle as your customers leave positive reviews to entice potential online shoppers to buy from your store.

Finally, as slow shipping and delivery times can actually lead to cart abandonment, offering reliable one-day shipping can help to reduce your cart abandonment rate, potentially boosting revenue dramatically.

One-Day Shipping: 5 Shipping Tips to Help Your eCommerce Business

One-day shipping can be tough for SMBs to pull off - but it’s not impossible! By following a few basic tips, your company can be much better equipped to survive in a world that increasingly demands one-day shipping as well as next-day delivery and even same-day delivery.

1. Take a Close Look at Your Bottom Line

First and foremost, take a close look at your company’s bottom line.

Do your profits allow you to implement one-day shipping without adversely impacting your bottom line? If so, it’s definitely something worth exploring! If not, try cutting costs in your current fulfillment and logistics operations budget and taking a hard look at your fulfillment workforce to accommodate the added costs and stricter delivery deadlines that one-day shipping brings.

2. Use Marketplace Programs Currently Available

A number of programs are currently available for eCommerce companies to aid them with one-day shipping.

One popular example is Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), which offers qualifying merchants access to Amazon Prime and its one-day shipping. Compare FBA and Seller Fulfilled Prime here to decide which is best for your business!

3. Use 3PL Companies

Third-party logistics (3PL) companies can also be used as fulfillment partners to help SMBs with their shipping and logistics.

Though they incur added costs, 3PLs can actually help SMBs save time and money in the long run by outsourcing their transportation, fulfillment and logistics to professionals, potentially improving delivery times to customers.

Learn more about how Easyship can help with your fulfillment needs here!

4. Make Your Supply Chain and Fulfillment Operations More Efficient

Proper inventory management is the key to eCommerce success. Try to improve your fulfillment efficiency by increasing your inventory accuracy, streamlining your fulfillment process, using less packaging, using slotting and optimizing the workflow of your warehouse to save time and money - which, in turn, you can then use towards implementing one-day shipping!

5. Collaborate with Couriers that Offer Next-Day Delivery and Even Same-Day Delivery

Most couriers, including FedEx and UPS, offer one-day shipping and even same-day delivery services. Consider fast shipping solutions like FedEx Priority Overnight, FedEx Standard Overnight, UPS Flat Rate and UPS Export Express Saver to make sure your products get to your customers as soon as possible!  

One-Day Shipping: Thrive in the Fast-Paced World of eCommerce

Simply put, speed is the name of the game in eCommerce today and online buyers expect fast shipping and delivery in this day and age. One-day shipping, along with next-day delivery and same-day delivery, should all be seriously considered by every online merchant today if they hope to survive in the increasingly crowded and competitive world of global eCommerce.

The keys to survive in a one-day shipping world are to be flexible, agile and adaptive. Know your target audience and stay one step ahead of your competitors by offering fast shipping. Though the costs may initially seem steep, the benefits can be enormous!

Implementing fast shipping options can be tough, but with proper stock management and same-day courier services, it’s something even SMBs can pull off without a hitch.

Fortunately, Easyship can help your business with your one-day shipping needs by offering more than 200 rapid and reliable courier shipping solutions worldwide, partnering with warehouses globally and by offering seamless integration with your online store.

Don’t put off one-day shipping any longer - sign up for Easyship today to find fast, affordable shipping solutions worldwide!