International shippers are going to face increased postal rates on July 1 as a September agreement among member countries of the 192-member Universal Postal Union (UPU) takes effect, with the U.S.’s self-declared terminal dues rates going into effect for inbound letters and small parcels.
While the USPS gets tossed around like a political football and threatens insolvency without more federal aid, the agency continues to report poor results as already lower mail rates have fallen through the floor due to coronavirus. Meantime, Trump ally, donor and fundraiser Louis DeJoy will be the new Postmaster General.
Parcels are small, but have a big bottom-line impact for subscription box businesses. Whether you’re sending curated boxes, doing replenishment or ecommerce orders, shipping puts pressure on limited transportation budgets. If cost are getting proportionately higher, it’s time to reevaluate your parcel management approach.
Retailers that understand what’s at stake with ecommerce fulfillment and commit to reducing costs and streamlining the customer experience are turning to automation to make it happen. Automated carrier selection, delivery alerts, invoice auditing and BI help them gain a competitive foothold and boost customer loyalty.
For many years, UPS and FedEx were in virtual lockstep on pricing and service offerings. That is until the past couple years, when they’ve begun to diverge as they seek to differentiate and carve out different market strategies. Mark Taylor of enVista discusses these changes as part of an MCM CommerceChat podcast.
With shipping and delivery such a critical piece of the customer experience in ecommerce, you need to choose the right carrier partner – or partners – that meet your business needs and fit your budget. Hear from shippers about how they determine the best fit and mix of service level and cost, and how they work with their carrier partners.