If you’re a small business owner, there are several types of delivery services to help you manage your local deliveries, but finally, the list of services boils down to 2 main options. To get your product to your customer’s doorstep, you either deliver yourself or hire a third-party company.
Here are some of the best local delivery courier companies to give you an idea of what to look for. But remember, depending on where your business is located, these service providers might not be available to you. Finally, you will have to do your own local research, but here are the key points to look for if you need local delivery for small business:
Today customers expect their packages to be delivered as soon as possible. Therefore, the pressure on companies to deliver fast is as high as ever. Especially considering big players taking extra care of their customers’ convenience such as Amazon with its two-day shipping.
Meanwhile, it’s totally up to you and your overall strategy how fast you want your packages dropped. A good point to consider may also be offering various shipping options. This way, you will give the choice to customers who are not in haste and cut some costs.
On the other hand, you may be perfectly good with including the shipping price inside the product cost. Since some customers are less reluctant to pay for a product when it comes with free shipping, this may work for you. The key point here is to keep an eye on your competitors’ moves.
FedEx is one of the most popular choices among local delivery services. Since they make standard deliveries every day of the week, packages can be delivered up to two days faster than with other companies.
Besides providing quick shipping, FedEx also comes with the benefits of shipping and printing discounts alongside finance management tools.
An important part of delivery service that no small business owner can overlook is the price. Local delivery for small business comes with all sorts of nuances to consider. These include small and big package pricing differences, destination, delivery deadline, etc. When you choose one priority feature, it may come at the expense of another one. So, when your goal is to find the most affordable local delivery service, you may consider using the service of a shipping API.
Companies in the delivery business that offer APIs make the process of shipping prices comparison easier. This way, you can choose the carrier for different shipments at your convenience and considerably cut your expenses.
The best thing about EasyPost is that the platform gives you the ability to compare the prices of shipping and speed of more than 100 companies. Through a single integration, you will be able to monitor your deliveries in real-time, verify addresses, and cover your shipments with insurance.
On top of the simplicity and automatization, EasyPost local delivery service offers free API for under 120 000 shipments a year.
Depending on the specifics of your business, you may prioritize different delivery companies for small businesses. The standard costs to ship packages up to a certain weight vary company by company. Therefore, for example, if your business produces items of set weight and you don’t want to pay by higher rate unnecessarily, you may differentiate by weight.
Sendle, an Australia-based delivery management software company, ships exclusively small packages. They guarantee they will deliver cheaper than major carriers packages under 20 pounds. Besides, there are no subscription fees or contracts involved.
Ups is a common choice of both the local delivery for small business and big companies. It’s especially beneficial for large package deliveries since they offer competitive rates on the market. Additionally, they provide tools designed for small businesses and same-day deliveries on some occasions.
As you can see, there are all sorts of business delivery services available to choose from. Delivery companies for small businesses have different advantages for different goals. So, it’s important to define your goals and choose accordingly.
But, no matter what your goals are and what you deliver, one thing is clear – you need your deliveries managed effectively. One option that can help you with this is CayPilot – it comes with all the essential features needed for local delivery. Plus, there are three different pricing packages to choose from, according to your budget and strategy.