Free shipping is one of the major influencers on whether your customers will shop online. 49.7% of online shoppers affirmed that they shop online because retailers offer free shipping to their doorstep.
These days, many successful print on demand companies offer their clients ways to offer free shipping. If you just stepped into the eCommerce sphere, we believe free shipping can be a great perk to offer your customers.
Customers who don’t see additional costs piling up at the end of the checkout process are more likely to finish the purchase without abandoning their cart. This helps you boost sales and scale quickly.
However, offering free shipping requires you to have correct shipping estimates. Accurate cost estimations ensure you don’t compromise on your profit margins, and the correct time estimates will promise timely deliveries to your customers.
Lucky for you, there are online calculators to ensure accuracy in shipping estimates. We’ll discuss them in detail in this article, so keep reading to learn how to estimate shipping costs and time accurately.
The Significance of Accurate Shipping Estimates
Say you own an eCommerce store sourcing from print on demand vendors. You want to offer free shipping to your customers over a certain order amount. In that case, you need to know how much money you’ll put in for each order because it’ll directly affect your profitability.
Shipping charges depend on the delivery time and location and the package’s size and weight. If you don’t know how much the maximum size and weight of the package costs, you will pay varying costs for every order. This means your profit margin also fluctuates, impacting your revenue.
When issues with delivery happen, 95% of customers ask for quick resolutions while their packages are in transit. And when that doesn’t happen, they often ask for a refund, leave a bad review, and ultimately ghost your business.
Conversely, when a merchant delivers the package as promised, customers have a good experience. They’ll keep returning and recommending you to their friends and family, getting you more clients.
For this reason, it’s important to calculate shipping accurately and inform your customers when to anticipate their package.
Online Shipping Calculators
Online shipping calculators make it easy for eCommerce store owners to calculate shipping on the go. They are essential shipping tools that merchants can use to get the best shipping rates by feeding basic data about the package, such as:
Shipping address
Weight
Dimension
Most popular shipping carriers, such as UPS, USPS, DHL, and FedEx, have a shipping calculator on their website. Online shipping calculators are handy tools for businesses who wish to offer free shipping. They give you a crystal clear idea of prices, which you can use to implement a product pricing strategy to accommodate shipping costs.
Online Shipping Calculators: The Benefits
There are several more benefits of online shipping calculators over manual shipping calculations for each package:
Compare shipping from various carriers: On a single page, you can easily compare shipping prices offered by various carriers. With this information, you may pick the best delivery method for your budget.
Save time: No more going to several carrier websites, inputting your cargo data, and getting the best shipping costs. Efficiently calculate major courier companies' shipping costs and services, including UPS, USPS, FedEx, and DHL.
Save money: Some shipping calculators provide bulk discounts even without requiring volume commitments or contracts. For example, if you're selling print-on-demand shirts and your customers typically order just a few items at a time, you can still secure competitive pricing through these calculators.
Avoid unexpected costs: Avoid paying for shipments you didn't anticipate by precisely estimating your shipping expenses in advance.
How to Use Online Shipping Calculators: The Guide
Online shipping tools are simple to use. You simply need to know a few details about the outgoing package, including:
The origin and destination of the package - You’ll need to provide postal codes for your location (sender) and the client’s location (receiver).
The package weight - Use a scale to find the deadweight of the package you’re sending.
The package size - The tool will ask about the package’s length, height, and breadth.
An advanced algorithm generates shipping time and cost once you feed the above data into the online shipping tool. It offers a shipping cost comparison of various services. For example, the table below gives the shipping cost and time for delivering a 4 lbs package with dimensions 8 11/16" x 5 7/16" x 1 3/4":
You must calculate shipping prices and absorb them into the product cost to offer free shipping.
Free shipping is only good if you have solid profit margins, as you’ll pay the carrier.
Better yet, consider giving free delivery for a set purchase value. This way, you can still attract buyers with free shipping and encourage them to spend more on your business.
Factors That Influence Shipping Costs and Times
Several factors influence shipping costs and times. As a small business owner, you should understand them for accurate estimates.
Distance between origin and destination
Carriers divide the shipping areas into shipping zones to calculate travel distance easily. The US has eight zones. While the prices vary from carrier to carrier, the shipping costs increase with the distance between the package's origin and the delivery zone.
Weight or dimensional weight
You usually get charged per package weight, but if your item is lightweight but packed in a large box, you pay more. You must calculate Dimensional Weight (DIM), i.e., the package's dimensions (length, breadth, and height) divided by the carrier-specific dimensional factor.
Delivery times
As we said earlier, time is money. Fast delivery is crucial for securing client loyalty and staying competitive. However, there’s a price to pay for these quick deliveries. Shipping costs are often proportional to the requested delivery speed.
Packaging material
Be proactive when selecting packing materials to save on shipping expenses. For instance, using boxes that are too large adds needless shipping expenses, while utilizing low-quality materials puts the items at risk while en route.
Shipping methods
The time it takes for a package to arrive also depends on your chosen delivery option. Expedite shipping uses air shipping and can deliver in as little as two days. Ground shipping may take longer, but it can be substantially cheaper for merchants offering free shipping.
Weather conditions
Storms, hurricanes, snow, etc., can delay shipping through all modes of transport. They can even risk damage to goods. Carriers may charge extra for shipping during severe weather conditions as additional costs pile up from rerouting and delays.
Holidays
Shipping demand rises around holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Due to the rising transportation demand, carriers may raise costs to account for the rush and longer shipment delays.
Case Studies and Examples
Shipping accuracy can do wonders for businesses. It can help you save money and gain more customers. How?
Take inspiration from Ounass, the luxury online retail store that builds customer loyalty by providing accurate shipping details and tracking options. It uses online shipping tools to estimate shipping costs accurately and lets customers know that their package gets shipped and delivered when they place an order. This enhances the end-user experience and reduces customer complaints.
Now, look at TrailCam Pro, an eCommerce website selling trail cameras. The TrailCam Pro merchants wanted to optimize their conversion rates, and guess what they did? They offered free shipping to boost their sales by 20%. How were they able to do it? They accurately calculated their shipping costs and increased their product prices by the shipping amount. Then, they offered free shipping without diminishing their profit margins and gained more customers.
The last example is New Wave Toys on Shopify. The company partnered with ShippingEasy to track the accurate shipping costs and times of various packages in their inventory. With the negotiated shipping costs with UPS, the business benefits from bulk discounts, cutting its shipping costs by 77%.
Conclusion
eCommerce is wildly competitive, to say the least. Free shipping can give you the edge to greatly boost sales and build customer satisfaction.
However, if you plan to offer free shipping, accurate shipping estimates will be necessary.
Online shipping calculators will be your best friend when comparing carrier rates, saving time compared to doing it manually. It’ll help you convey delivery timelines with your customers, helping build a strong and reliable relationship over time.
Free shipping is one of the major influencers on whether your customers will shop online. 49.7% of online shoppers affirmed that they shop online because retailers offer free shipping to their doorstep.
These days, many successful print on demand companies offer their clients ways to offer free shipping. If you just stepped into the eCommerce sphere, we believe free shipping can be a great perk to offer your customers.
Customers who don’t see additional costs piling up at the end of the checkout process are more likely to finish the purchase without abandoning their cart. This helps you boost sales and scale quickly.
However, offering free shipping requires you to have correct shipping estimates. Accurate cost estimations ensure you don’t compromise on your profit margins, and the correct time estimates will promise timely deliveries to your customers.
Lucky for you, there are online calculators to ensure accuracy in shipping estimates. We’ll discuss them in detail in this article, so keep reading to learn how to estimate shipping costs and time accurately.
The Significance of Accurate Shipping Estimates
Say you own an eCommerce store sourcing from print on demand vendors. You want to offer free shipping to your customers over a certain order amount. In that case, you need to know how much money you’ll put in for each order because it’ll directly affect your profitability.
Shipping charges depend on the delivery time and location and the package’s size and weight. If you don’t know how much the maximum size and weight of the package costs, you will pay varying costs for every order. This means your profit margin also fluctuates, impacting your revenue.
When issues with delivery happen, 95% of customers ask for quick resolutions while their packages are in transit. And when that doesn’t happen, they often ask for a refund, leave a bad review, and ultimately ghost your business.
Conversely, when a merchant delivers the package as promised, customers have a good experience. They’ll keep returning and recommending you to their friends and family, getting you more clients.
For this reason, it’s important to calculate shipping accurately and inform your customers when to anticipate their package.
Online Shipping Calculators
Online shipping calculators make it easy for eCommerce store owners to calculate shipping on the go. They are essential shipping tools that merchants can use to get the best shipping rates by feeding basic data about the package, such as:
Shipping address
Weight
Dimension
Most popular shipping carriers, such as UPS, USPS, DHL, and FedEx, have a shipping calculator on their website. Online shipping calculators are handy tools for businesses who wish to offer free shipping. They give you a crystal clear idea of prices, which you can use to implement a product pricing strategy to accommodate shipping costs.
Online Shipping Calculators: The Benefits
There are several more benefits of online shipping calculators over manual shipping calculations for each package:
Compare shipping from various carriers: On a single page, you can easily compare shipping prices offered by various carriers. With this information, you may pick the best delivery method for your budget.
Save time: No more going to several carrier websites, inputting your cargo data, and getting the best shipping costs. Efficiently calculate major courier companies' shipping costs and services, including UPS, USPS, FedEx, and DHL.
Save money: Some shipping calculators provide bulk discounts even without requiring volume commitments or contracts. For example, if you're selling print-on-demand shirts and your customers typically order just a few items at a time, you can still secure competitive pricing through these calculators.
Avoid unexpected costs: Avoid paying for shipments you didn't anticipate by precisely estimating your shipping expenses in advance.
How to Use Online Shipping Calculators: The Guide
Online shipping tools are simple to use. You simply need to know a few details about the outgoing package, including:
The origin and destination of the package - You’ll need to provide postal codes for your location (sender) and the client’s location (receiver).
The package weight - Use a scale to find the deadweight of the package you’re sending.
The package size - The tool will ask about the package’s length, height, and breadth.
An advanced algorithm generates shipping time and cost once you feed the above data into the online shipping tool. It offers a shipping cost comparison of various services. For example, the table below gives the shipping cost and time for delivering a 4 lbs package with dimensions 8 11/16" x 5 7/16" x 1 3/4":
You must calculate shipping prices and absorb them into the product cost to offer free shipping.
Free shipping is only good if you have solid profit margins, as you’ll pay the carrier.
Better yet, consider giving free delivery for a set purchase value. This way, you can still attract buyers with free shipping and encourage them to spend more on your business.
Factors That Influence Shipping Costs and Times
Several factors influence shipping costs and times. As a small business owner, you should understand them for accurate estimates.
Distance between origin and destination
Carriers divide the shipping areas into shipping zones to calculate travel distance easily. The US has eight zones. While the prices vary from carrier to carrier, the shipping costs increase with the distance between the package's origin and the delivery zone.
Weight or dimensional weight
You usually get charged per package weight, but if your item is lightweight but packed in a large box, you pay more. You must calculate Dimensional Weight (DIM), i.e., the package's dimensions (length, breadth, and height) divided by the carrier-specific dimensional factor.
Delivery times
As we said earlier, time is money. Fast delivery is crucial for securing client loyalty and staying competitive. However, there’s a price to pay for these quick deliveries. Shipping costs are often proportional to the requested delivery speed.
Packaging material
Be proactive when selecting packing materials to save on shipping expenses. For instance, using boxes that are too large adds needless shipping expenses, while utilizing low-quality materials puts the items at risk while en route.
Shipping methods
The time it takes for a package to arrive also depends on your chosen delivery option. Expedite shipping uses air shipping and can deliver in as little as two days. Ground shipping may take longer, but it can be substantially cheaper for merchants offering free shipping.
Weather conditions
Storms, hurricanes, snow, etc., can delay shipping through all modes of transport. They can even risk damage to goods. Carriers may charge extra for shipping during severe weather conditions as additional costs pile up from rerouting and delays.
Holidays
Shipping demand rises around holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Due to the rising transportation demand, carriers may raise costs to account for the rush and longer shipment delays.
Case Studies and Examples
Shipping accuracy can do wonders for businesses. It can help you save money and gain more customers. How?
Take inspiration from Ounass, the luxury online retail store that builds customer loyalty by providing accurate shipping details and tracking options. It uses online shipping tools to estimate shipping costs accurately and lets customers know that their package gets shipped and delivered when they place an order. This enhances the end-user experience and reduces customer complaints.
Now, look at TrailCam Pro, an eCommerce website selling trail cameras. The TrailCam Pro merchants wanted to optimize their conversion rates, and guess what they did? They offered free shipping to boost their sales by 20%. How were they able to do it? They accurately calculated their shipping costs and increased their product prices by the shipping amount. Then, they offered free shipping without diminishing their profit margins and gained more customers.
The last example is New Wave Toys on Shopify. The company partnered with ShippingEasy to track the accurate shipping costs and times of various packages in their inventory. With the negotiated shipping costs with UPS, the business benefits from bulk discounts, cutting its shipping costs by 77%.
Conclusion
eCommerce is wildly competitive, to say the least. Free shipping can give you the edge to greatly boost sales and build customer satisfaction.
However, if you plan to offer free shipping, accurate shipping estimates will be necessary.
Online shipping calculators will be your best friend when comparing carrier rates, saving time compared to doing it manually. It’ll help you convey delivery timelines with your customers, helping build a strong and reliable relationship over time.
Free shipping is one of the major influencers on whether your customers will shop online. 49.7% of online shoppers affirmed that they shop online because retailers offer free shipping to their doorstep.
These days, many successful print on demand companies offer their clients ways to offer free shipping. If you just stepped into the eCommerce sphere, we believe free shipping can be a great perk to offer your customers.
Customers who don’t see additional costs piling up at the end of the checkout process are more likely to finish the purchase without abandoning their cart. This helps you boost sales and scale quickly.
However, offering free shipping requires you to have correct shipping estimates. Accurate cost estimations ensure you don’t compromise on your profit margins, and the correct time estimates will promise timely deliveries to your customers.
Lucky for you, there are online calculators to ensure accuracy in shipping estimates. We’ll discuss them in detail in this article, so keep reading to learn how to estimate shipping costs and time accurately.
The Significance of Accurate Shipping Estimates
Say you own an eCommerce store sourcing from print on demand vendors. You want to offer free shipping to your customers over a certain order amount. In that case, you need to know how much money you’ll put in for each order because it’ll directly affect your profitability.
Shipping charges depend on the delivery time and location and the package’s size and weight. If you don’t know how much the maximum size and weight of the package costs, you will pay varying costs for every order. This means your profit margin also fluctuates, impacting your revenue.
When issues with delivery happen, 95% of customers ask for quick resolutions while their packages are in transit. And when that doesn’t happen, they often ask for a refund, leave a bad review, and ultimately ghost your business.
Conversely, when a merchant delivers the package as promised, customers have a good experience. They’ll keep returning and recommending you to their friends and family, getting you more clients.
For this reason, it’s important to calculate shipping accurately and inform your customers when to anticipate their package.
Online Shipping Calculators
Online shipping calculators make it easy for eCommerce store owners to calculate shipping on the go. They are essential shipping tools that merchants can use to get the best shipping rates by feeding basic data about the package, such as:
Shipping address
Weight
Dimension
Most popular shipping carriers, such as UPS, USPS, DHL, and FedEx, have a shipping calculator on their website. Online shipping calculators are handy tools for businesses who wish to offer free shipping. They give you a crystal clear idea of prices, which you can use to implement a product pricing strategy to accommodate shipping costs.
Online Shipping Calculators: The Benefits
There are several more benefits of online shipping calculators over manual shipping calculations for each package:
Compare shipping from various carriers: On a single page, you can easily compare shipping prices offered by various carriers. With this information, you may pick the best delivery method for your budget.
Save time: No more going to several carrier websites, inputting your cargo data, and getting the best shipping costs. Efficiently calculate major courier companies' shipping costs and services, including UPS, USPS, FedEx, and DHL.
Save money: Some shipping calculators provide bulk discounts even without requiring volume commitments or contracts. For example, if you're selling print-on-demand shirts and your customers typically order just a few items at a time, you can still secure competitive pricing through these calculators.
Avoid unexpected costs: Avoid paying for shipments you didn't anticipate by precisely estimating your shipping expenses in advance.
How to Use Online Shipping Calculators: The Guide
Online shipping tools are simple to use. You simply need to know a few details about the outgoing package, including:
The origin and destination of the package - You’ll need to provide postal codes for your location (sender) and the client’s location (receiver).
The package weight - Use a scale to find the deadweight of the package you’re sending.
The package size - The tool will ask about the package’s length, height, and breadth.
An advanced algorithm generates shipping time and cost once you feed the above data into the online shipping tool. It offers a shipping cost comparison of various services. For example, the table below gives the shipping cost and time for delivering a 4 lbs package with dimensions 8 11/16" x 5 7/16" x 1 3/4":
You must calculate shipping prices and absorb them into the product cost to offer free shipping.
Free shipping is only good if you have solid profit margins, as you’ll pay the carrier.
Better yet, consider giving free delivery for a set purchase value. This way, you can still attract buyers with free shipping and encourage them to spend more on your business.
Factors That Influence Shipping Costs and Times
Several factors influence shipping costs and times. As a small business owner, you should understand them for accurate estimates.
Distance between origin and destination
Carriers divide the shipping areas into shipping zones to calculate travel distance easily. The US has eight zones. While the prices vary from carrier to carrier, the shipping costs increase with the distance between the package's origin and the delivery zone.
Weight or dimensional weight
You usually get charged per package weight, but if your item is lightweight but packed in a large box, you pay more. You must calculate Dimensional Weight (DIM), i.e., the package's dimensions (length, breadth, and height) divided by the carrier-specific dimensional factor.
Delivery times
As we said earlier, time is money. Fast delivery is crucial for securing client loyalty and staying competitive. However, there’s a price to pay for these quick deliveries. Shipping costs are often proportional to the requested delivery speed.
Packaging material
Be proactive when selecting packing materials to save on shipping expenses. For instance, using boxes that are too large adds needless shipping expenses, while utilizing low-quality materials puts the items at risk while en route.
Shipping methods
The time it takes for a package to arrive also depends on your chosen delivery option. Expedite shipping uses air shipping and can deliver in as little as two days. Ground shipping may take longer, but it can be substantially cheaper for merchants offering free shipping.
Weather conditions
Storms, hurricanes, snow, etc., can delay shipping through all modes of transport. They can even risk damage to goods. Carriers may charge extra for shipping during severe weather conditions as additional costs pile up from rerouting and delays.
Holidays
Shipping demand rises around holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Due to the rising transportation demand, carriers may raise costs to account for the rush and longer shipment delays.
Case Studies and Examples
Shipping accuracy can do wonders for businesses. It can help you save money and gain more customers. How?
Take inspiration from Ounass, the luxury online retail store that builds customer loyalty by providing accurate shipping details and tracking options. It uses online shipping tools to estimate shipping costs accurately and lets customers know that their package gets shipped and delivered when they place an order. This enhances the end-user experience and reduces customer complaints.
Now, look at TrailCam Pro, an eCommerce website selling trail cameras. The TrailCam Pro merchants wanted to optimize their conversion rates, and guess what they did? They offered free shipping to boost their sales by 20%. How were they able to do it? They accurately calculated their shipping costs and increased their product prices by the shipping amount. Then, they offered free shipping without diminishing their profit margins and gained more customers.
The last example is New Wave Toys on Shopify. The company partnered with ShippingEasy to track the accurate shipping costs and times of various packages in their inventory. With the negotiated shipping costs with UPS, the business benefits from bulk discounts, cutting its shipping costs by 77%.
Conclusion
eCommerce is wildly competitive, to say the least. Free shipping can give you the edge to greatly boost sales and build customer satisfaction.
However, if you plan to offer free shipping, accurate shipping estimates will be necessary.
Online shipping calculators will be your best friend when comparing carrier rates, saving time compared to doing it manually. It’ll help you convey delivery timelines with your customers, helping build a strong and reliable relationship over time.
Continue reading
More leads in less time_
Start building the future of your company, today
Create powerful on brand calculators, lead generation forms and apps that automate your marketing and sales processes
Start with a template
Find inspiration or customize an outstanding template, complete with functional formulas and flows to help you get started.
Let us build for you
We can build your calculator, and afterwards you can always make changes yourself. Our service starts at just $250.
More leads in less time_
Start building the future of your company, today
Create powerful on brand calculators, lead generation forms and apps that automate your marketing and sales processes
Start with a template
Find inspiration or customize an outstanding template, complete with functional formulas and flows to help you get started.
Let us build for you
We can build your calculator, and afterwards you can always make changes yourself. Our service starts at just $250.