To say that ecommerce shipping is challenging is an understatement.
To optimize for affordable and fast shipping, business owners are required to shuffle through all the carriers, services, rates, and rules and regulations:
- USPS, FedEx, DHL, or UPS?
- Flat-rate shipping, expedited, or ground?
- 2-day shipping, same-day delivery, or others?
Shipping has always been one of the biggest pain points online brands face.
And with experts saying shipping problems will continue into 2022, businesses will need to invest the time and money into reevaluating their shipping strategy to thrive.
Fortunately, cloud-based ecommerce shipping software can help to alleviate some of the headaches.
This articles explores the benefits of cloud shipping and what to look to look for in a cloud shipping solution. Additionally, get a deeper dive into the leading cloud shipping companies.
What is cloud shipping?
Cloud shipping is the process of utilizing online tools to choose a carrier and service to ship a package. Most often, it involves using cloud-based software designed to automate and streamline shipping for a high volume of orders.
By implementing cloud-shipping technology, you can collect and record all shipment-related data across your logistics network — from your online store to your distribution centers — all through one centralized system.
Cloud shipping solutions make it easier to generate shipping labels, enable fast fulfillment, and receive real-time shipping updates.
What are the benefits of using cloud shipping?
From automation to time-savings, the benefits of cloud shipping are multifaceted. Here are a few of the benefits of cloud shipping across stakeholders.
Benefits of cloud shipping for your company
Cloud shipping companies allow you to automate shipping while saving you time and money.
It works by integrating a cloud shipping solution with an ecommerce platform, which then puts time-consuming shipping tasks on autopilot. You can:
- Assign the best shipping carrier based on destination.
- Compare shipping options and rates.
- Generate shipping labels.
- Schedule pickups.
This is even more beneficial if you are a multi-channel retailer. Most cloud shipping solutions are designed to offer multi-shipping shipping software, including the ability to compare shipping rates and service levels between carriers, so you can easily choose the best option for each order.
For example, ShipBob’s technology includes a built-in cloud shipping solution, which aggregates transit times, cart values, shipping methods, and shipping destinations to help you optimize your costs and test different shipping price strategies.