Free shipping for online stores - pros and cons. How orders are delivered from online stores

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Russian online stores mainly use 4-5 delivery methods. Which of them to prefer is usually decided by the buyer, who is given a choice. But the owners of the trading platform can also set a specific delivery method. As statistics show, most of the users choose self-delivery, but only if it is convenient for them. For example, they can pick up an order on their way somewhere, or the pickup point is located not far from the metro station, which is on their way.

The rest of the buyers living in the same city where the store is located are ready to wait for courier delivery. Most people choose free shipping.

Customers from other regions cannot come in person or choose courier delivery, so they have only 2 options: to receive an order through the Russian Post or using the services of a transport company that operates throughout the country.

In fact, this is not even a delivery, but simply providing the buyer with the opportunity to pick up his order on his own. Pick-up points are usually organized in a warehouse with goods or in an office. Some private traders manage to equip their housing for self-delivery, but this threatens that its owner will not be given peace and the house will turn into a passage yard.

Any online store can choose pickup, but when working with all settlements in Russia, it should be indicated that this method is available only for a certain city in which the warehouse or central office is located.

Express delivery

This delivery method has 2 options:

Creation of own courier service.
Cooperation with outsourcing courier service.

The first point is the most effective and reliable, since you will have full control over the activities of your employees. However, this is also the most expensive option, because it will take a lot of money to train and maintain your own couriers.

The second point is not as good as the first one, but it is quite suitable for small online stores, as it reduces the cost of courier delivery to a minimum.

Let's take as an example several third-party companies that provide a courier service for stores to deliver orders.

CDEK

Transport companies

The most common are EMS and DHL. Unlike local courier services, transport companies operate throughout the country and even abroad. Thus, if you plan to open a store with delivery in Russia or in neighboring countries, far abroad, you can use the services of such companies or mail.

The first option is much more expensive, but the delivery times are much shorter. In addition, couriers of transport organizations deliver parcels directly to the addressee. There is no need to go to the post office, stand in line and waste your time.

The entire path of the goods from the point of departure to the point of delivery can be tracked online using the track code. This is convenient both for the administration of the online store and for the buyer, who will see where his order is now and what is happening to him.

This delivery method appeared quite recently, but has already attracted the attention of many online stores due to its low cost.

A post office is a special terminal that stores and issues parcels to customers. The dimensions of the goods are limited by the dimensions of the cell, so it clearly does not make sense to order a large TV or refrigerator and expect it to be delivered to the parcel terminal.

Services such as PickPoint and InPost are engaged in sending parcels to parcel lockers.

If your site was created on the 1C-UMI constructor, you can add different delivery methods for goods: pickup, courier, transport company or Russian Post. We recommend because it is built into the checkout process, counts towards the order total, and is built into the order processing panel.

Finding your niche in business in the face of such high competition, correctly arranging the type of activity, creating an online store, filling it with goods, advertising ... This and much more are the stages of the development of online trading.

But even after passing all these milestones, the store owner cannot afford to sit back and wait for orders, hoping that the business will now turn a profit without much effort on his part.

How is shipping organized in the online store

The way an online store sends orders can say about it better than any expensive advertising, help create a base of regular customers and gain new ones.

The scheme of the online store is almost the same for everyone:

Acceptance of an order;
Packing and shipping;
Receiving an order;
Further service

The item "payment" can be either after the acceptance of the order (prepayment), or after receipt (cash on delivery).

Business plan for you!

Are you planning to start an online business? Be sure to read, which you can apply to calculate the store in many niches.

The item in the cart is a reason for joy

Promise - does not mean to marry ... Put in a basket - does not mean to buy. And not always an unfinished purchase is someone's flaw. It's just that there are several categories of buyers who do not pay for the goods put in the basket.

The first category is those who are interested in the product, but want to collect more information about it.
The second is those who, wanting to save money, are looking for a cheaper analogue.
The third is those who went to the store not to buy something, but simply to get acquainted with the assortment.

If someone who has not completed the checkout in the basket has left any coordinates, then you can contact him in the future and ask in an unobtrusive way whether he intends to make a purchase, or the item can be removed from the basket.

Checkout

How does an online store send orders to customers in such a way that customers return again and again? The main thing here is clearly planned actions, when everyone does their job.

The first one is processing time. Oddly enough, but you shouldn’t rush in this matter, but, of course, you shouldn’t delay the design. The optimal time is from 1 to 4 hours, the possible maximum is 8 hours.

Next is order confirmation. Many get by with a phone call, but this is not correct. Order confirmation must be reflected in the e-mail to the buyer. It should contain: the name and parameters of the product, its cost, form of payment, details (in case of prepayment), contact details.

After that, you can make a phone call for the final confirmation of the order.

Payment

The next step that the product goes through on its way to its buyer is payment, or rather prepayment in accordance with the invoice (sent to e-mail), which is usually valid for 7 days.

If there is no payment after 2-3 days, you can call the client or send an email offering an alternative method (cash on delivery, for example). You can try again in 5-7 days, but such bills are usually not paid. Although this does not mean that the client can be crossed off the list of potential buyers, on the contrary, it is necessary " attack» all kinds of promotions.

Package

If the payment has passed, or if it involves a cash on delivery, then the order can be safely formed and sent to the client. Do not underestimate the quality and style of packaging, even if the delivery involves the nearest metro station.

Be sure to invest in promotional products. Moreover, one business card, as a rule, is not enough. Anyone will be pleased to receive a discount on the next purchases after the first order, as well as to get acquainted with information about upcoming promotions. Such advertising, of course, requires certain costs, but sometimes it justifies itself no worse than the electronic version.

actual dispatch of goods

Of course, the cost of delivery and its terms are negotiated immediately, when placing an order and payment method. The maximum allowable period is 3 days, although it is best to work according to the scheme: issued in the morning - sent in the evening, issued in the evening - sent the next day before lunch.

Online shopping can send orders in several popular ways. In the city and the nearest suburbs - by a courier (regular or hired in a special service), outside - with the help of carrier companies.

In the latter case, immediately after the shipment, it is imperative to send a message to the buyer on a mobile phone, in which to indicate:

Order number;
date of dispatch and expected date of receipt;
invoice number given by the carrier;
the exact amount payable (in case of cash on delivery).

What is the profit?

Further actions

In no case should you interrupt communication with the buyer after a successfully completed transaction. If possible, after 2-3 days it is worth making a call and asking for your opinion on the quality of goods and service.

And, of course, the client must be entered into the database in order to send him the latest news, promotions and useful information.

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We also recommend reading:

Learn about the main methods of organizing delivery for online stores:

Express delivery;
self-delivery of goods from the online store;
EMS/Russian mail in online stores;
transport companies.

Express delivery

In large cities, this is the most popular method and the most popular delivery service. This method is characterized by high speed of delivery and the fact that buyers can look at the product before paying to check its condition.

The simplest scheme and easily implemented.

At the start, it is very problematic to hire your own couriers, so you should outsource delivery and use the services of third-party couriers if necessary. This will protect you from unnecessary expenses and there will be no such situations when the courier sits in the office. The article on courier services for an online store made a comparative overview of courier services that can be entrusted with the delivery of orders.

On average, the cost of courier services is approximately 170-200 rubles. an order weighing up to one kilogram, the delivery of which is carried out within St. Petersburg or Moscow. The cost of delivery to St. Petersburg in Moscow time is on average approximately 250-300 rubles.

Let's take a look at the results:

Price
Speed
Reliability

Cost: due to the high speed, such a service is not cheap (for an order weighing one kilogram in one city - from 150 rubles).

Speed: if you have your own couriers, you can send orders on the day you receive orders. Delivery of orders by third-party courier services is carried out the next day after its acceptance.

Reliability: the responsibility for the received cargo lies with your couriers and courier services (you should read the contract with them).

All self-respecting online stores should have courier delivery, regardless of the region where the work is carried out.

Self-delivery of goods from the online store

Self-delivery is more convenient because the buyer does not have to pay for the delivery of the order, and this is true for a small amount of the order. Moreover, buyers are not guided by couriers, who often arrive at unscheduled times.

In addition, at self-delivery points, you can place additional showcases with goods, thereby providing an opportunity for customers to buy other goods in your store.

If there is no office, then you should not be upset, now you can place goods on the basis of self-delivery centers of courier services or firms that were originally sharpened as self-delivery centers for online stores (for example, SamZaber).

A significant disadvantage of self-delivery is the higher percentage of unredeemed orders compared to the courier. Therefore, a few days after the confirmation of orders, it is worth reminding customers that the order is waiting for them. Then the buyer will either finally refuse, or come to pick it up.

Results:

Price
Speed
Reliability
Possibility of accepting cash upon receipt

Cost: For self-pickup, it may cost nothing if it is your own office. When using the services of third-party pickup centers, the issuance of the 1st order will cost an average of 40-90 rubles. depending on the centre.

Speed: the slow speed is due to the fact that quite often buyers do not immediately arrive for placing an order, but only within a few days.

Reliability: Naturally, if self-collection is in your own office, then you are responsible for it. Responsibility for an order transferred according to documents also lies with third-party pickup centers, do not forget to read the contract.

MailEMS/Russia in online stores

It's no secret that in online stores, cash on delivery is one of the most popular types of delivery in Russia. Firstly, because it has the largest coverage of the territory. Secondly, because many potential buyers live in small towns.

The delivery procedure is as follows:

Packaging of goods;
Sending orders through Russian Post offices;
The order is sent to the recipients, we are waiting for it to arrive at its branch;
Upon receipt of the order, the receipt of money is expected.
The main disadvantages of cash on delivery delivery. Before opening delivery throughout Russia, you should think about the following:
In Russia, the average delivery time is ten days;
When shipping only in advance, there is a certain risk of freezing working capital at the time of delivery;

It will also take a lot of work to prevent cases where orders are not picked up. In such cases, you will spend ten days for delivery, a month is allowed for the order to be picked up, and in cases where it is not picked up, another ten days for the return of the goods. Do not forget that in such cases you will have to pay for shipping both there and back.

There may be additional costs for communication with buyers from the regions.

However, even if there are all the above disadvantages, working with the entire audience of Russia has its advantages. Since the opening of this type of delivery, complications are possible, which are associated with the fact that part of the money in the form of orders travels around Russia, but over time (when buying orders), the situation begins to stabilize. In addition, the audience of potential buyers is very large.

The following tips will help you reduce the number of non-collections:

It is worth notifying buyers about the dispatch of goods;

It is also worth notifying them about the delivery of the order to their post office;

You always need to confirm by phone orders to the regions.

Results:

Price
Speed
Reliability
Possibility of accepting cash upon receipt

Cost: delivery at a fixed cost and depends on the region where the package is sent. We recommend 1st class.

Speed: depending on the region, the delivery time can be found on the Russian Post website. We recommend sending 1st class, which significantly reduces delivery times.

Reliability: according to statistics, the goods are rarely delivered to the final destination by the Russian Post. However, there may be violations of the deadlines and the appearance of the packages. The product may also be damaged. It is worth warning buyers that they should not redeem a purchase in case of a significant violation of the packaging.

By the way, it is more convenient to send parcels through branches that do not work with individuals, but only with individual entrepreneurs or legal entities.

Transport companies

For online stores, it is the most unclaimed delivery service.

We are talking about delivery with the help of companies such as PEK, Business Lines, etc. The advantage of these companies is fast delivery in comparison with the Russian Post and a large number of offices in Russia (more than 1000 cities).

This type of delivery is perfect for:

Prompt delivery to cities where the buyer can independently pick up orders from the warehouse of the transport company;
Delivery of fairly large cargoes;

Buyers make orders, make an advance payment for them, and then you send the order to the city. Compared to the Russian Post, this type of delivery has a smaller coverage (medium and large cities), but faster delivery, which is especially true for remote regions.

Some transport companies offer the possibility of paying for goods upon receipt, but we recommend using prepaid systems.

Transport companies:

Business Line
Results:
Price
Speed
Reliability
The possibility of accepting cash upon receipt in some companies is

Cost: the cost of delivery is comparable to the cost of sending using the Russian Post. It is more profitable to send oversized cargo by transport companies.

Speed: compared to the Russian Post, the speed is higher, but the coverage is smaller.

Reliability: higher reliability than the Russian Post due to shorter delivery times and more careful attitude to shipments.

What to choose as a result as a delivery for an online store?

We considered pickup, courier delivery, transport companies and the Russian Post. Now let's compare them by characteristics:

Speed:

Pickup
Express delivery
Transport company
Post office

It has already been noted that courier delivery is the fastest way to deliver an order to end customers. But the Russian Post has the maximum coverage on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Price:

Pickup
Express delivery
Transport company
Post office

The always high speed of delivery was characterized by high shipping costs. It is quite difficult to compare different types here, because each of these types performs its own tasks, the difference in cost is large. The main thing is that there are many different payment options involved in online stores.

Reliability:

Pickup
Express delivery
Transport company
Post office

The most reliable is self-delivery using couriers or self-delivery. Everything by and large happens in front of your eyes and it is much easier to control. When sent to the regions, it becomes harder to control. Send a courier on a business trip for a thousand kilometers - you yourself understand that such a trip will not pay off the sale. Unless, of course, you sold not a set of household appliances, numbering twenty wagons. Therefore, it is better for a young store not to get involved with the regions, but to focus on the city where it operates.

As you can see, in all categories there is no obvious winner. Therefore, we recommend that you always do not use only one delivery option, but combine them, thereby giving buyers the opportunity to choose. It is more convenient for someone to pay for prompt delivery by courier, and for someone it is better to drive up yourself so as not to overpay.

Choice of delivery at the start

When launching an online store, courier delivery (up to two days) must be present without fail + pickup is also desirable. Over time, it is worth trying to make a delivery test by Russian Post, both prepaid and cash on delivery. The results obtained can help you to finally determine the scheme of work with mail.

If you are distributing oversized goods or it is more convenient for you to work with transport companies, then it is worth evaluating the cost of such a service and choosing the appropriate service. On this site, you can be provided with assistance in automatically calculating the cost of delivery to various destinations.

In order not to make a mistake with the choice of delivery option, it is necessary to take into account the type of goods supplied. For example, you need to remember that delicate electronics and various little things do not like transportation by mail, since they can be damaged during shipment. Therefore, it is best to deliver mobile phones, gadgets, electronics, computer spare parts through a courier, and even better - to give it away. We must not forget that courier delivery is also an additional income. As a rule, the cost of a trip for a courier is several times lower than the payment for delivery, so offering courier services to a client is profitable.

If your product is not afraid of shocks (for example, clothes), then the most profitable delivery method is undoubtedly mail. With the help of post offices, you can easily send the goods without worrying about its safety. Finally, if your field of activity is something large (hot water boilers, gas stoves, furniture ...) - your choice is specialized delivery services that have become widespread in Russia recently. As a rule, such services have convenient sites where you can track the progress of the delivery, because both you and your client will always be able to find out where the goods are. In addition, the cost of the services of these companies is quite profitable.

As we can see, all delivery options are good to a certain extent. Most stores prefer to combine benefits and practice different delivery options. As a rule, courier delivery is carried out in the city where the store is located. And in remote regions, the goods are sent by postal services.

Before setting up delivery methods in the store, you need to decide on the sales region:

if you work only in one region, then courier delivery of goods from the store and pickup will be enough for you.
if you work in several regions, then you need to implement delivery using delivery services (for example, PickPoint, Boxberry, DPD) through certain delivery services.

For courier delivery and pickup:

Delivery depending on the shipping cost of each item

To organize delivery using delivery services (PickPoint, Boxberry, DPD, EMS Russian Post, Russian Post).

Pickup

Pickup- this is a way to receive an order from an online store, in which the buyer picks up the goods directly at the office of the online store, in a warehouse or at a specific point of issue of orders.

Free shipping

Free shipping is now very common as some kind of marketing ploy to increase sales.

For some sellers, free shipping is a necessity, a competitive advantage.