Shipped in a week. 2-day promise. 1-day express delivery. Same Day Deliveries?. With the eCommerce boom, shipping has become more of a competitive advantage. Of course, everyone wants their products shipped the fastest. Expedited shipping is that faster service level no matter the transit mode. Businesses need to get this competitive advantage on their side by offering clients more expedited shipping service options.
What is Expedited shipping?
Simply put, it is transporting freight via the fastest available mode of transport. So, if the standard delivery time is 7 days, anything lesser than that would classify as expedited shipping.
Freight shipping can be fast-tracked in many ways
Expedited Truck Freight Shipping
Sometimes called “Hot Shots” trucks carrying expedited shipments usually do not make any stops. Companies will have two drivers travel in the same truck to work in shifts. Generally, the trucks are dedicated to that one freight shipment to make expedited shipping possible. There also are many other ways that companies organize expedited shipments.
Expedited Air Freight Shipping
If your freight needs to ship even faster, there are many freight companies that can offer air freight services also. Generally speaking, cargo is picked up by truck, then transferred to a cargo plane for super-fast transit. Then dispatched out to a final mile delivery truck for the last leg. Although more expensive than many of expedited shipping modes. If your freight needs to get there fast, many companies offer these expedited air freight shipping options both domestically and globally.
Expedited Parcel Shipping
If your firm does not ship in heavier freight size quantities, almost all parcel carriers offer expedited shipping options. From 2nd day to overnight, and even in some cases and markets same day deliveries are possible. UPS, FedEX, DHL, and even in some cases USPS all offer some variation of expedited parcel shipping.
How Fast is Expedited shipping?
Domestic expedited shipping usually takes 2-3 days in the US, but some deliveries can be fulfilled as quickly as the next day or 24 hours. Some services even promise deliveries the very next morning of placing the order.
Overseas destinations obviously can take longer. While the norm is 2-5 days, the more expensive options can deliver in 1 to 2 days especially if your freight shipment is traveling via air freight.
There is no one standard when it comes to international or domestic expedited shipping times. They differ with the service provider, their transport network, unexpected delivery hiccups, and other variables.
What are the possible benefits of using or providing expedited shipping options?
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Increased online Sales Competition
With the rise of Amazon and other larger retailers offering more expedited shipping options. It has become increasingly imperative that other companies follow suit to compete. Many consumers, especially in urban markets, have become accustomed to amazon prime and its free expedited shipping options.
Critical to Business
Expedited shipping may be pricier than standard delivery, but the cost difference is negligible compared to the business loss a backed-up assembly line can cost on the production side as well.
Minimizes Damage
This mode of shipping does not go through multiple stops or repeatedly handled. Expedited shipping usually needs the shipment to move quickly, so it is directly received at the destination without excessive handling.
Stable Rates
Expedited shipping service providers already have the capacity and the resources to execute the delivery. So, short-term fluctuations hardly have any impact on their costs infusing stability into the shipping process.
How to Ensure Seamless Expedited shipping?
Businesses should take into account the following factors in order to get maximum returns out of expedited shipping.
Comparing Rates
International and domestic expedited shipping rates are higher than their standard counterparts. A competent shipping manager can get the best available rates in the market. Also many technology forward freight companies have easy to use online software. That allow you to quote, book, and track expedited shipping options through one source.
Real-Time Tracking
Choose a carrier that allows online and real-time freight tracking. This lends the shipper a lot of control over the delivery if they have better transparency.
Multiple Options
Every carrier offers multiple options for shipping. These can include using the partial or full capacity of the trucks, deciding on the number of trucks needed, and more. Choose wisely to optimize costs.
In Conclusion:
As you can see there are a lot of options and service levels when it comes to expedited shipping options. Now more than ever, companies need to offer expanded expedited shipping options to compete and differentiate their products. If your firm would like help investigating pricing, automation, and different expedited shipping services options, Easy Logistics Management would be happy to help your explore them.