As the pandemic tightened its grip on the economy, consumer behavior started changing in ways we couldn’t have imagined prior to March 2020. Due to circumstances beyond our control, the whole world went home and stayed there, reinventing how we all work, learn, communicate, shop, and live our everyday lives. Some changes were for the better, and we realized we were more resilient and adaptable than thought possible. We switched to takeout and online meetings and after a brief pause, started spending money again. Shop locally and support small businesses became a rallying cry, and consumers headed online in unprecedented numbers.
In an ongoing research study conducted by ShipStation, 55% of consumers surveyed said they’d continue to shop online instead of heading back to a store. It’s easier than ever to click “buy,” get back to your routine and simply wait for your order to appear at your front door. 75% of those consumers noted quarantine pushed them to buy items online they’d previously only purchased at brick-and-mortar stores.
Over 60% of consumers are willing to pay a little extra for a product to support a small business. Over half said they’re willing to pay for shipping to support a small, local, or independent retailer. Small business retailers demonstrated how essential they are and have gone above and beyond supporting customers in their communities.
The supply chain delays of 2020 alarmed sellers and heightened consumer demand for step-by-step updates during the shipping and delivery process. A majority of consumers want to know expected shipping timelines before committing to an online purchase. In addition, consumers want to know where their item is and when to expect delivery. Retailers can create loyal customers by providing transparent shipping rates and realistic delivery estimates during the checkout process.
Free shipping and seamless returns are still among the most popular demands from consumers around the globe. Most consumers expect brands to continue offering free shipping as standard practice and not just a promotional gimmick.
Who is ShipStation?
The online checkout experience isn’t the final step of the purchase process. But, it may well be the single most crucial step in creating a customer for life. Getting the right product, in perfect condition, into your customer’s hands when promised is arguably the most essential part of any retail transaction. Getting it right every time is no easy task, but it is possible with the right processes in place.
ShipStation provides the leading web-based shipping software built to help online retailers organize and process their orders while fulfilling and shipping them with ease. With automatic order importing from over 40 shopping carts and marketplaces, like eBay, Amazon, Shopify, Magento, and more, ShipStation helps online retailers quickly fulfill their orders, using their preferred shipping methods.
Since 2011, ShipStation has designed order management and shipping software to help retailers become more efficient at processing, fulfilling, and shipping their eCommerce orders. By combining order processing, inventory management, shipping label creation, and customer communication in one easy-to-use interface, online retailers can eliminate several manual tasks while saving money.
With offices across North America, Europe, and Australia, merchants can fulfill orders and grow their business wherever they operate. By making it their mission to build the best shipping software available, ShipStation helps online business owners get their products into customer’s hands as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Retailers maintain complete control and insight into every customer order at every stage of the shipping process by directly integrating with over 70 of the best-selling channels. Save time by automatically applying actions to orders based on the criteria you set. Sync as many orders as you like across as many sources as you use by connecting a selling channel, manually create orders, upload a CSV, or input using your existing API.
ShipStation Features and Benefits
There’s a reason over 100,000 eCommerce merchants have chosen ShipStation as their shipping partner. It’s about much more than cheap shipping or how to ship a package quickly. No other shipping software makes order fulfillment quicker, easier, and more affordable. So let’s review what you can do with ShipStation software.
Order Management: Directly integrate with the most popular selling channels and easily manage your orders from a single platform. Know exactly where your orders are at every stage of the shipping process, even if they are coming from multiple selling channels. Sync as many orders as you need to and save time by automatically applying actions to orders based on the criteria you’ve set.
Create shipping labels: Simplify your shipping workflow by quickly generating discounted shipping labels for all of your online orders. With ShipStation, you can find the best rate, print a single label, or batch orders to rapidly create multiple labels. As a result, spend more time creating, marketing, and selling and less time shipping with just a few clicks.
Branded shipping: Create a more personalized and memorable delivery experience for your customers with branded shipping at no additional cost. Promote your brand with a variety of services like customized shipping labels, dedicated returns portal, and step-by-step tracking page.
Inventory Management: Manage your inventory more effectively from your garage, a warehouse, or any number of remote locations. Use ShipStation’s web-based software to keep track of stock levels, set inventory alerts, or allocate stock, all while picking and packing, and fulfilling orders. In addition, this comprehensive inventory management solution provides you with custom reports so you never run out of stock again.
Integrations & Partners: Import orders from wherever you sell and create shipping labels for however you ship. ShipStation makes it easy to integrate with your marketplaces, shopping carts, order management systems, and more. Eliminate the tedious copy and paste routine and paperwork associated with manual shipping.
ShipStation Pricing Plans
STARTER ($9/month)
- 50 Shipments per month
- 1 User
- Branded Labels & Packing Slips
- E-mail & Community Forum Support
BRONZE ($29/month)
- 500 Shipments per month
- 1 User
- Branded Labels & Packing Slips
- Live Chat, E-mail & Community Forum Support
SILVER ($29/month)
- 1,500 Shipments per month
- 2 Users
- Customized Labels & Packing Slips
- Live Chat, E-mail & Community Forum Support
Most Popular
GOLD ($49/month)
- 3,000 Shipments per month
- 3 Users
- Customized Labels & Packing Slips
- Live Chat, E-mail & Community Forum Support
PLATINUM ($99/month)
- 6,000 Shipments per month
- 5 Users
- Customized Labels & Packing Slips
- Live Chat, E-mail & Community Forum Support
ENTERPRISE ($159/month)
- 10,000 Shipments per month
- 10 Users
- Customized Labels & Packing Slips
- Live Chat, Phone Support, E-mail & Community Forum Support
How can ShipStation Help my Business?
By organizing and streamlining your entire fulfillment and shipping process with a single platform, you can spend more time developing, sourcing, and selling your products. In addition, with branded solutions at no extra cost, you can create a more personalized connection with your customers.
Payline + ShipStation
With inventory management, fulfillment, and shipping tasks simplified, ShipStation makes it easier to get the products your customers order delivered in a way that exceeds their expectations. A satisfied customer will share a good experience with family, friends, and strangers on the Internet. More stars from them mean more customers for you.
To make sure that customer purchases are completed seamlessly, add Payline Data as your payment processing partner. Payline processes your online credit card transactions quickly and securely to ensure that your business data and your customer’s personal information are always protected.
Payline offers transparent pricing and no hidden fees to help you keep more of the money you’ve earned. ShipStation and Payline Data are designed to make it simple for startups, small businesses, and self-employed contractors to maximize their revenues while protecting their hard-earned cash.
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