Shipping Carriers and Rates: The Decisions That Matter
Choosing carriers, services and rate structures for online orders, and showing accurate shipping options and costs at checkout.
Marcus Adeyemi
The key figures
- Rate types
- flat rate, free shipping thresholds and real-time carrier rates
- Dimensional weight
- carriers may charge by package size as well as weight
- USPS services
- include Ground Advantage and Priority Mail
- Delivery estimates
- should reflect handling time plus transit time
Why this is worth getting right
Shipping costs are a leading reason for abandoned carts, and inaccurate rates either lose sales or lose money on every order.
Do this, not that
Do
- Show shipping costs early in the journey
- Offer a free shipping threshold if margins allow
- Right-size packaging to reduce dimensional weight
- Compare carriers by zone and package type
- Keep delivery estimates realistic
Don’t
- Surprise shipping costs at the final step
- Oversized boxes for small items
- One carrier for every shipment without comparison
- Estimates that ignore handling time
When to bring in help
Our advice Bring in help when shipping costs erode margins, or when carts are abandoned at the shipping step.
Where this comes from
- USPS Postal Explorer — Domestic Mail Manual
- Baymard Institute — Cart abandonment rate statistics
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
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Where to go next
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