7 Shipping Options for a Better Checkout

eCommerce is all about choice and convenience. Potential customers will not hesitate to take their business elsewhere if they can't find their preferred shipping method or multi-courier shipping solutions among your options.

As buyer delivery expectations continue to change, online retailers need to play catch up and offer their customers the choice and convenience they need during the checkout process to reduce cart abandonment.

Experts estimate that implementing the right checkout optimization can increase conversions by a whopping 35.62%! Part of this entails including multiple shipping methods at checkout to give your customer the freedom of choice on how they want their orders delivered.

The good news is that different eCommerce platforms have plenty of add-ons and extensions that can help you install and configure different types of shipping methods at checkout and prevent buyers from dropping off due to mere shipping settings.

Easyship integrates with all the major eCommerce platforms, including WooCommerce and Shopify, to help you delight your customers with multi-courier shipping solutions, and offer the most accurate rates at checkout with our Rates at Checkout feature.

In this article, we discuss the different types of shipping methods that you should consider having in your eCommerce store to make your customers happier and win more conversions at checkout.

7 Types Of Shipping Options Examples at Checkout

From location-based fees and order size/weight-based rates to local pickup and per product shipping, there is no shortage of shipping options that you can include in the checkout process. Here, we discuss some shipping methods you can implement to delight your customers with more choices.

1.Table Rate Shipping

It seems unfair to ask customers located closer to your store to pay the same shipping rate as the ones in the furthest shipping zone. It makes more sense to provide more affordable rates for buyers located near you, and still offer fair rates to those located far away. Right? This is exactly what the table shipping method helps you to do.

It allows you to set different shipping rates based on the location of your customers, as well as the size and weight of packages. It is an excellent eCommerce shipping method for your store when serving customers in multiple shipping zones.

It gives you the power and flexibility to set up shipping zones and configure specific shipping options by ZIP or postal code, state, region, or country.

The table rate shipping is excellent for you if your store ships to many shipping zones and destinations, hence requiring high flexibility in defining shipping rates and options for each zone.

2. Flat Rate Box Shipping

This shipping method gives you the flexibility to accurately charge your customers based on the number of boxes/master cartons shipped. It is a good option for you if your shipments vary in size and weight, and you want to find a way to charge your customers based on the size of their orders.

The thinking behind flat rate box shipping is that it costs more to pack and ship a large, heavy box full of products than it costs to mail a small package. In that case, it makes more sense to base your shipping fees on the height and weight of your boxes.

As you would expect, basing your fees on the height and weight of your boxes will normally require complicated math and product setup, and you will be required to find out and enter the exact dimensions of your products and shipping boxes.

Once you are done with the setup, you will be able to determine exactly how much you want to charge for different shipping box sizes, as well as charge different rates for various zones.

3. Per Product Shipping

If your store deals with some large items that come in very bulky boxes or awkwardly shaped items that don't fit into boxes, you need to find a way to charge and ship them without losing money on your transactions.

Allowing per product shipping fees as one of the eCommerce shipping options in the checkout process will make this easier for you. With this shipping method, you set up extra fees for some or all of your products and product variations.

A good example of this is when you sell a desk or a bike to your customer alongside an extra component that will require a separate box. With this method, you can accurately, and separately charge for each item.

Invest in per-product shipping if you have a few items that require additional shipping and/or handling fees, you occasionally need to override your normal shipping rates on specific items, or sell heavy and large product variation requiring special shipping.

4. Ship to multiple addresses

During holidays, customers would want to send gifts to their loved ones, and they love doing so by sending parts of their orders to different addresses. With this shipping method, you can allow your customers to ship to multiple addresses in the same order.

It is one of the eCommerce shipping options that you should consider having in the checkout process, especially during holidays. Instead of having to place multiple orders for their holiday shopping, your customers can just place one large order and then split it into multiple pieces at checkout to be shipped to their respective addresses.

It is a powerful and convenient shipping method that will enable you to accommodate your customer's multiple destination needs, and have an edge over a competitor. So, if you have customers who have requested this feature in your store, go ahead and invest in multi-address shipping, and you will have an easier time growing your sales during the holidays.

4. Local pickup

Local pickup is a great option to have in your store's checkout process. Instead of having their orders shipped, this option allows your customers to drop by your store and pick up their items in person.

Including this method as an option in the checkout process is excellent for merchants with one or more physical locations where customers can pick up their orders or retailers who are already selling locally and want to establish an online presence.

Related: A Seller's Guide to eCommerce Domestic Shipping

It is also a good option for retailers who want to offer discounts to those who pick up their items locally, or those who want to give their customers more choice by splitting orders between local pickups and shipments.

It not only allows the retailer to save money and time on shipping but also allows customers to seamlessly experience the digital and real-world shopping experience and get their items faster.

5. Conditional Shipping

Let's say you sell licensed items that aren't available in some parts of the world, or you just want to avoid the hassles of shipping some of your products internationally to certain countries.

In that case, you will need to limit your shipping options by letting your buyers know upfront where you can and can't ship before they slide through the checkout process.

Conditional shipping enables you to restrict products based on a customer's location. You set multiple conditions for your store's products to prevent customers from making purchases that would be too costly to ship or placing orders for items that aren't available in their region.

6. Print and Include Invoices or Packing Slips

eCommerce is all about digital purchases and payments, but printed invoices and packing slips continue to linger along despite advanced digital solutions. Companies, organizations, and businesses still rely on these printouts in their accounting processes!

But creating invoices and packing slips manually can be time-consuming. It makes more sense to have a way to generate them automatically. So if you are in a B2B business setting, or have customers who specifically request printouts, including them in the checkout process is crucial so that you can print them right away when needed.

Printouts also come in handy when you want to include a printout of your return policy or other vital purchase instructions within your orders.

Streamline Your Shipping at Checkout

As online shoppers continue to demand more choice at checkout, eCommerce retailers need to move in with speed to implement the right shipping methods and win more conversions. Now that you are aware of some of the shipping options you can have in your store, why not go ahead and take advantage of them to drive more sales?

Here at Easyship, we are dedicated to helping you delight your customers with the most streamlined checkout process that an eCommerce store can ever have with our multi-courier shipping solutions and dynamic Rates at Checkout feature.

Sign up for a free Easyship account and let us help you supercharge your eCommerce shipping with the kind of checkout process you need.