Recently I discussed this topic with several clients and was surprised that some of them never tried shipping management software and still print shipping labels one by one from online store. This is fine when you get up to 10 orders per day but when you get dozens of orders the procedure becomes very time consuming and with hundreds of orders just impossible without a good shipping software. So I checked around and below is the list of the most popular multi-carrier applications.
The main benefits of using a specialized shipping software for e-commerce are:
- Data Import and Batch printing: The multi-carrier programs are directly integrated with most shopping carts, payment processors and marketplaces. This allows you to import your data (i.e. shipping address) directly into the shipping software and batch print labels. The software will then post-back tracking information to the data source. No manual re-entry of anything and your customers will have real time information.
- Easy Rate Shopping: As shipping becomes more complex with dimensional weight and other pricing options, online retailers are finding that they must rate-shop among all carriers to minimize cost of shipping which means maximizing profit from every order.
The most popular multi-carrier applications:
ShipStation – web-based shipping software that was designed for the multi-channel merchant and is one of the best shipping apps around. Anyone who sells on multiple platforms (eBay, Amazon, etc.) and ships physical goods can save time & money. Supports USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, and other carriers. Supports multiple stores/marketplaces including Magento, X-Cart, PrestaShop and etc. More info at: http://www.shipstation.com/
ShipWorks – Windows based multi-carrier shipping software brings your whole ecommerce world together. It connects multiple online stores ( like eBay, Amazon, etc) with all shipping carriers so its easy to print shipping labels… It connects multiple online stores with all shipping carriers so that you can print shipping labels in batches, send emails, update online order status, and more. ShipWorks supports 40+ shopping carts like Magento, X-Cart, PrestaShop, eBay, Amazon and etc, and all major shipping carriers — UPS, FedEx, USPS, Endicia, Express 1, Stamps.com, and more. More info at: http://www.shipworks.com/
ShipRush – software and web based based solution. Ship right from your accounting or CRM system; automatically saves and emails tracking numbers. ShipRush supports Magento, X-Cart, PrestaShop and other shopping carts. More info at https://shiprush.com/
All of the above have trials and demos you can check to decide which one fits your business procedures better and will greatly simplify your shipping management, allow you to provide better shopping experience to your customers, have happier employees and more organized business. And if your current online store does not suppose any of the above, it’s time to upgrade. Just talk to us about best options for your business.
I hope this helps and let us know if you have any questions or need help with connecting any of this applications with your online store – call us at 1-800-675-0162 or email at support@finestshops.com. Special thanks to Eric Nash, VP of Sales from stamps.com for his help with this article.
To your success!
Anton Pachkine
FinestShops offers premium managed e-commerce package for companies without a large IT department.
