It’s important to ship orders promptly and securely during busy holidays. Presents must arrive in time to be placed under the tree, given at holiday parties, or sent to loved ones.

Last holiday season, nearly 16 billion packages and mail were delivered. This is a more than a 4 percent increase over 2017. 8% were delayed by FedEx and UPS alone.

Delivery times can be affected by many factors, some of them beyond your control. Continue reading to learn how you can prepare for holiday shipping and set up shipping rates using WooCommerce to ensure your packages arrive on schedule.

Shipping in WooCommerce

The first step is to identify your shipping zones. This will allow you to decide where you want to ship. You have the option to ship internationally or to a specific country only. You may not ship alcohol products to certain countries if you hold a license. 

Next, determine shipping methods and rates for each zone. This will help you determine shipping cutoff dates in specific areas. You might set a cutoff date earlier for orders shipping across the world than you would for orders shipping a few hundred miles from your home. More information about selecting shipping carriers and choosing cutoff dates can be found in the sections below. 

WooCommerce offers three shipping options:

• No shipping charges – Send your products to your customers at no extra cost

• Flat rate shipping– Charge a fixed price or a percentage of the order total.

• Local pickup Meet customers in person to collect their products.

Shipping free can encourage purchase. 93% of online shoppers will buy more products if they get free shipping. You may want to add priority shipping if you offer free shipping. WooCommerce allows you to combine many options depending on your customers’ needs.

Many extensions can be used if none of the standard shipping methods suit your needs.

• Table-based Shipping – Create custom rates with tables. Base shipping rates are based on weight, quantity, and price.

• WooCommerce Advanced Shipping Packs – Divide your cart into different packages with their rates

• WooCommerce Distance Shipping Rate – Provide rates based on distance or travel time to customers.

• WooCommerce Shipping: Get discounted USPS rates and printed labels right from your WooCommerce dashboard.

You might also want to create shipping classes for your products. Shipping classes can be used to determine shipping rates for certain items such as fragile or heavy products, which may cost more to ship.

Integrating with a Shipping Carrier

The right shipping company can make a huge difference in the delivery time, rates, and quality of your shipment. While the right shipping carrier may be different for every business, here are some tips to help you choose one.

• Which cities are you shipping from and to? Check that your carrier can ship to all locations.

• Are your products heavy or need special attention? Make sure your carrier can handle cold food and flammable products.

• What shipping rates are available? Are there any discounts for large orders?

• How quickly does your carrier deliver?

• Do you have tracking?

• Can you buy insurance separately or is it included?

You should also be aware of how shipping rates and delivery times change during holidays. USPS and FedEx have already published their 2019 shipping deadlines. However, if you use a different carrier, be sure to check their requirements. Some carriers charge extra for holiday shipping, especially for heavy or overweight packages. These are important to consider when choosing a carrier or determining shipping rates.

You may need multiple carriers in certain cases. You might need different carriers depending on where you are shipping to. 

Shipping Cutoff Dates

Once you have established your shipping rates and shipping methods on your website, let your customers know when the product will be delivered to their homes.

Begin by learning the cutoff dates of your preferred shipping carrier. As you can see, USPS and FedEx have already published their deadlines. However, you might want to add some padding as these dates are estimates and not guaranteed.

International shipping can be more complicated than you might think. Consider changing the dates to suit your shipping location. Shipping times may be affected by international holidays.

Your shipping carrier deadlines, weekends, and holidays, as well as your processing time, should be used to determine your cutoff dates. Your customers should be able to see them.

This can be done by creating a popup on your website’s home, product, and checkout pages. Nuria beauty made something similar using an email capture to replace shipping dates. The overlay was added to the rest of the page so that the popup is visible.

Layla Mattress advertises a sale by using a top bar. The same format could be used to display shipping cutoff dates. A clear countdown would show how long you have until your holiday purchase.

It is important to be clear about your deadlines so customers don’t have any problems.

What about those shoppers who want to purchase even after the cutoff? Consider offering gift cards to your store as an alternative gift option.

Tracking information is important so your customers know when they can expect their package. They can also keep an eye on it. You won’t have to answer holiday shoppers’ questions about delivery. You can use the Shipment tracking extension to track information on your website or in emails. You can also email tracking information to WooCommerce Shipping when you purchase labels.

Ensure that Packages arrive on Time

You must set clear cutoff dates so that you know when your packages will arrive.

Offer expedited shipping options. Customers who order last-minute gifts may be offered faster shipping options such as priority shipping or overnight delivery. 77% of holiday shoppers plan to purchase last-minute gifts. Using expedited shipping options increases the likelihood of fulfilling those orders.

Print shipping labels yourself. Print shipping labels yourself instead of waiting in long lines at the post office during holidays. You can use WooCommerce Shipping to print discount labels for the USPS or integrate with services such as ShipStation and Stamps.com.

Manage your orders efficiently First, ensure that your vendors deliver the materials and other items you need in time to fulfill your orders. Next, ensure that your employees can understand and perform their tasks efficiently. To handle an increase in orders, you may need to hire temporary or seasonal staff members.

All shipping materials should be available. Get extra packaging and shipping materials ordered and ready before the holiday season begins. It’s not worth waiting for custom boxes to arrive or making a trip to the store during peak season. 

Be alert to high-traffic shopping days. Prepare and set up processes to quickly fulfill orders after high-traffic shopping hours. These can vary depending on where you are located and your industry.

Handling Late Packages

What if your packages arrive late? How can you deal with unhappy and disgruntled customers?

It is a good idea to have a return and refund policy. It should be visible on your website, such as the Checkout page’s footer, and you should stick to it. Customers can request returns and manage them from their dashboard with the Warranty Requests extension. This removes a lot of the burden from your shoulders and makes the entire process much easier.

You can offer your customers a discount on future purchases, or a percentage back. Even if the order is late, they may still be interested in the product and will be delighted to receive a partial refund or coupon.

Your customer can request a replacement if the product is damaged in shipping. This will help you retain your customers and minimize your losses.

Do not be afraid to ask for shipping refunds from your carrier. You may be eligible to receive your money back depending on the shipping method and who shipped your package. You may need to request a refund from your carrier within a specific time frame. If your shipment was insured and damaged, you may request both a shipping reimbursement and the value.

Get Preparing Now

59% of shoppers search for sales and purchase gifts on an average of 42 days prior to the holidays. You need to have policies and processes in place so that packages arrive on time and your customers are satisfied.