How to Turn Shipping Into a Lever for Business Growth: 5 Takeaways From Season 6 of the Step by Step Podcast by Future Commerce

These days, every retail business must have a handle on the wonderful world of e-commerce in order to get ahead and thrive. But one often underestimated portion of the e-commerce journey is shipping — most retailers don’t realize how truly complex the shipping ecosystem is, and therefore aren’t prepared to tackle it in a way that helps them grow their business.

The Shippo team recently partnered with Future Commerce on a podcast series to look closely at and demystify those complexities, offering advice and real-world examples for how to turn e-commerce shipping from a cost center into a lever for growth.

To help you get the most of the series, we’ve highlighted our top takeaways below:

Prioritizing Shipping Helps E-Commerce Merchants Better Meet and Exceed Rising Consumer Expectations

Shipping has become a central part of retail businesses, and merchants should be shifting their mindsets to think of how to use it as a brand differentiator instead of simply viewing it as a cost center. Shipping is more than just a journey from warehouse to consumer — it’s an opportunity to surprise and delight.

Listen to the full episode on the importance of prioritizing shipping here.

By Delivering Exceptional E-Commerce Experiences, Shipping Builds Customer Loyalty

In the second episode of the series, Decorware International e-commerce manager Keith Austria gives us a real life example of how the business utilized shipping as a growth engine, winning more loyal customers that still shop online with them today.

Listen to the full episode on how to wield shipping to acquire new customers and build loyalty here.

Shipping is an Effective Acquisition Tool for E-Commerce Marketplaces

In episode 3, Flyp co-founders James Kawas and Dani Arnaout tell us about how subsidizing shipping played a distinct and important role in building their unique marketplace of professional resellers.

Listen to the full episode on how marketplaces can leverage shipping here.

Today’s Consumers Want Choice and Transparency in Their Shipping Experiences

In episode 4, General Manager of Shipping at BigCommerce Matt Crawford covers the different ways e-commerce merchants can use shipping to deliver great customer experiences, including providing more choice at check-out and transparency throughout the journey.

Listen to the full episode on how to utilize shipping to curate great customer experiences here.

Earn More Trust and Increase Revenue by Managing Expectations Around Delivery

In episode 5, Senior Vice President of E-Commerce at Whiplash Ryan Powell and Nima Elyassi-Rad, Head Partnerships at Shippo, chat about how to earn trust and increase revenue through shipping: “Despite the Amazon narrative, not everyone needs everything in 30 seconds,” said Elyassi-Rad. “If you don’t have the infrastructure to do two-day delivery, then don’t promise two-day delivery.”

Listen to the full episode on leveraging 3PL and xMS to increase revenue here.

Shippo makes it easy to save on rates from over 85 carriers, and gain the insights you need to turn shipping from a cost center into a catalyst for more business growth. Create your account for free and see why over 100K brands trust Shippo to help scale their e-commerce businesses.