Invest in more efficient shipping processes and increase your profits
Consumer behaviour in Australia is changing as increasing numbers of shoppers move online. eCommerce sales have increased by 57.7 per cent year-on-year (YoY), reaching AU$50.46 billion, with more than 80 per cent of Australian households making at least one purchase online in 2020, according to Australia Post. Additionally, 1.3 million new households entered the market.With so many new shoppers in the e-tailing sphere, the competition to gain audience attention is fierce. To make the most of this opportunity to gain more customers, businesses need to ensure their shipping processes are streamlined and efficient so that customers receive their goods quickly and in good condition. Automating parcel sending processes can also help reduce costs and increase profits.
The increasing volume of parcel sending activity in Australia could cause challenges for retailers and office shippers as well as increase the complexity of the process. The 2021 Pitney Bowes Shipping Index showed that more than one billion parcels were sent in Australia in 2020—an average of 40 parcels generated per person and 33 parcels shipped per second—growing from 934 million parcels in 2019.
We estimate that this growth trajectory will continue throughout 2021 and beyond. In fact, research from Australia Post has found that Australians continue to participate in online shopping at unprecedented rates: online shopping grew by 27 per cent from July 2020 to July 2021, and a record 5.6 million Australians made online purchases online in August 2021.
As a result, it's become increasingly important that retailers, etailers, and online businesses review their processes to optimise shipping practices so they can continuously deliver excellent service to customers. In particular, companies should look at how investing in automation can help them to achieve more efficient shipping processes.
Automate, automate, automate
Automating the different steps of the parcel sending process is crucial. For example, automating parcel sorting can help reduce the time and cost involved in sorting deliveries, as well as improve accuracy, visibility, and tracking.
Integrating solutions, such as SendPro Online, that automate time-consuming and repetitive tasks, including reviewing and recording package weight and size information or updating labels, can simplify processing. Overall, this can lead to more efficiency for the sender and, in turn, deliver more revenue as more parcels can be processed and shipped in less time.
Businesses should also look for solutions that can simplify order fulfilment and reduce the risk of losing productivity due to unnecessary complexity and delays due to manual processes. SendPro Online provides access to multiple carrier options and facilitates easy price and delivery time comparison, empowering users to find the simplest solutions for their needs quickly, and efficiently.
Automating the parcel sending process can also bring benefits for the wider business. Staff will have more time to spend on higher-priority tasks, leading to more efficiency across the business. This, combined with increased customer loyalty and top-line revenue, will contribute to more profits for online businesses.
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1https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/ecommerce-industry-report-2021.pdf
2https://auspost.com.au/business/marketing-and-communications/access-data-and-insights/ecommerce-trends