Ecommerce Spotlight: Shipping Solutions with ShipStation

Welcome back to our Ecommerce Spotlight series! Together with our trusty partners, we’re exploring the swankiest features and apps that the Shopify ecosystem has to offer, helping merchants across the land to unlock their ecommerce potential.

Today, the spotlight is on shipping solutions. We’re joined by Kevin Kline and Mike Hayers as they discuss how shipping software ShipStation increases efficiency for ecommerce sellers.

ShipStation: a snapshot

Designed to save merchants time and money on ecommerce order fulfilment, ShipStation lets you import, manage and ship orders across unlimited selling channels. The customisable automation features and batch processing capabilities could save you countless man-hours, thanks to the automation of repetitive tasks, elimination of manual data entry and reduction in human error risk.

This popular shipping software also allows merchants to infuse their brand identity into every element of the post-purchase experience – a concept often neglected by ecommerce sellers.

Platform highlights include:

• Import orders from over 100 marketplaces, carts and stores
• Choose from nearly 40 different carriers from across the UK, US, Canada and Australia
• Exclusive carrier discounts
• Powerful rules engine to automate order processing
• Batch print shipping labels and packing slips
• Branded tracking page, returns portal, shipping emails, shipping labels, packing slips

Let’s hand over to Kevin and Mike for the lowdown on ShipStation, along with some ecommerce shipping best practices.

Why should a merchant choose a tool like ShipStation instead of other ecommerce shipping solutions?

Summary:

• ShipStation drives efficiency in scaling businesses.
• It allows merchants to aggregate orders into a central dashboard, saving time and money.

What are the best communication methods for tracking?

Summary:

• Typically, email or SMS are preferred communication methods, as they are easily accessible to users.
• ShipStation uses automated emails for optimum efficiency.

How can ShipStation help with complex shipping?

Summary:

• It’s all about automation! Orders are segmented and then automatically processed according to segment rules.

How does ShipStation choose a courier?

Summary:

• ShipStation has a variety of tools inbuilt for the customer to choose a courier themselves based on segmentation and rules. Again, automation is key.

How can merchants use automation within ShipStation to compete with Amazon?

Summary:

• Merchants can use automation to ship orders depending on geolocation.

How important is the post-purchase experience and how does ShipStation help merchants improve it?

Once the cameras stopped rolling, we had an interesting discussion about how ShipStation can be used to improve the post-purchase experience. Just for you, here’s a summary of our chat with Kevin and Mike:

• The post-purchase experience is incredibly important for customers, yet too many retailers don’t focus enough attention on this area.
• ShipStation offers merchants a branded tracking page and returns portal to provide a slick post-purchase experience.
• It’s important to make a professional impact at every touchpoint along the customer journey.

Next under the spotlight

A huge thanks to Kevin and Mike for sharing their thoughts on ecommerce shipping solutions – lots of useful insights to consider as the holiday season kicks off! And if you want more expert advice from the ShipStation experts, join James Messer as he takes a look at the top five ecommerce shipping mistakes to avoid over the festive period.

Next up in the Ecommerce Spotlight series, we turn our focus to subscription and recurring billing solution ReCharge. Keep your eyes peeled for our exclusive Q&A session with Rob Barr, coming soon to the Swanky blog.

Give us a shout

If you’d like to know more about how Swanky could unlock your ecommerce potential with an advanced tech stack and expert strategic guidance, then contact our team of Shopify Plus Experts today. We’d love to hear from you!