One of the actors that operate in the field of e-commerce shipping is Auctane that has managed to strengthen its position through a recent cooperation with the USPS. This way Auctane is able to guarantee its customers the best shipping rates in the market are being offered. Auctane of which ShipStation is a member of, in addition to Stamps.com. com, Shippingeasy, shipengine, shippworks, metapack, and endicia, has revealed on the Wednesday, this enterprise wide agreement as one of the landmarks in the e-commerce world.
A Comprehensive Agreement with USPS
“This direct agreement between both companies and Auctane and the United States Postal Service will not only prove very successful, but bring a lot of value to the organizations that will be ‘sharing’ our services across the nation.” “For over 20 years, Auctane has highlighted USPS in its high-quality and innovative solutions for customers. With this newly expanded USPS collaboration, the whole Auctane brand family will provide the best shipping rates for millions of users and will enhance the merchant’s experience.
Such agreement is relevant as the USPS reseller program was recently terminated on October 1. The former reseller program was a mechanism that let companies resell USPS postage offerings (commercial rates) to customers, thus making rates significantly lower for many SMBs that could not get the adequate volume to get lower post rates directly from the USPS, FedEx, or UPS. Currently, this contract eliminates the need for the third party thus allowing businesses to contract USPS directly.
The Impact on E-commerce
Auctane’s businesses in 2021 helped to consummate over $200 billion value of sales in the U. S. and delivered to over 90% of American homes. The new deal has been a win-win for USPS targeting shippers and merchants and a great turn up for Auctane as it can now market USPS Connect e-commerce rates to its many facility. All these new rates are already displayed on Auctane’s platforms so that merchants can get to use the new rates as they are without a delay.
As for the advantages, the agreement has been signed at the right time – before the beginning of the holidays, which is always associated with increased sales. In the past, Black Friday represents the beginning of the most intense shopping designation which is further followed by Cyber Monday. Nevertheless, key sellers such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target are extending the specifications of their one-off extravagances, which influences the last-mile conveyance space. Companies are now more concern with cutting on operational cost particularly the cost of transportation.
Adapting to Changing Market Conditions
Auctane/ Retail Economics surveyed ShipStation and 91% of the merchants consider business costs this holiday season going up. To cope, 34. 7% intend to raise delivery costs, 26. 2% will lengthen delivery times to customers, while 10 – 15% reported longer lead times from suppliers. 1% are discontinuing free returns. However, in spite of the mentioned challenges, volume of orders is expected to increase notably with considerably higher numbers projected from all small, mid- and large- sized organizations.
“Thus, the primary effects of inflation and economic volatility are changing consumer preferences in the given period,” shared Robert Gilbreath, the General Manager of ShipStation. “To counter this, merchants need to go on the defensive and devise a strategy for the holiday season It entails a review and enhancement of the process of ordering and receiving the products online, and the delivery process. ”
Understanding Auctane ShipStation
ShipStation is an online shipping software that helps in e-commerce packaging and shipping and is a product of Auctane. This software currently works in collaboration with more than one hundred shops, online platforms, and marketplaces that are involved in shipping. Counting from order management, generating shipping labels, and tracking shipments, ShipStation is an all-rounder solution for any business.
Key Features of Auctane ShipStation
- User-Friendly Interface:Control panel – It shows all the orders, shipments, and deliveries, to provide an overall view of the shipping process to handle business successfully.
- Multi-Platform Integration: ShipStation connects nicely with a vast number of online stores, marketplaces, and shopping carts, which enables the businesses to manage orders generated from multiple platforms.
- CustomizationAnother aspect that needs to be taken into consideration is that different businesses will have different shipping requirements, which is why ShipStation provides users with numerous options regarding customization. There are possibilities where establishments can manage factors such as projection and format of pictures, operations and changes in shipping procedures in accordance to particular specifications.
- Automation and Batch Processing: Automation functionalities of the ShipStation minimize on human labor by making ways for tasks such as; choosing carriers, printing labels, and even informing the buyers to be automated. There is also the benefit of batch processing that aims at the simultaneous handling of several requests.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is Auctane ShipStation?
Auctane ShipStation is a shipping solution that can connect to over one hundred shopping carts and selling channels. It encompasses all the activities regarding the movement of products including order processing, generation of shipping labels, and tracking shipments.
How does the Auctane and USPS agreement benefit e-commerce businesses?
It enables all the existing brands in Auctane to pass USPS Connect e-commerce rates to its consumers, which means the provision of the best rates in the market. This is good news for small and midsize businesses since they previously sought low rates from the USPS reseller program.
What are the key features of ShipStation?
Some of ShipStation’s main features are ease of use, compatibility with multiple platforms, choices of plans and designs, as well as highly effective processes of automation and batch operations. These features enhance the smooth running of shipping and acts as a boon to the e-commerce firms..
How can businesses leverage ShipStation during the holiday season?
ShipStation’s help can be fit in with the fact that several businesses experience higher order volume during the holiday seasons. As a result, with help of automation and batch processing abilities many orders can be processed without involving much manual work and the companies can deliver orders on time and satisfy customers.
How does ShipStation integrate with different e-commerce platforms?
ShipStation currently supports over one hundred interconnected stores, sites, and selling venues, which will help keep track of all the orders. It assists organisations to maintain their shipping and delivery patterns orderly and systematic.
What customization options does ShipStation offer?
ShipStation provides services to make special displays, differentiate business processes, and change/establish shipping policies according to the business’s requirement. This flexibility is useful in helping the firms improve the availability of shipping options to guarantee satisfaction to the clients.
What is the impact of the USPS reseller program ending?
The halt of the USPS reseller program implies that various businesses have to directly negotiate with USPS on how to acquire the commercial rates. The agreement signed by Auctane with USPS guarantees that its brands can remain as attractive as they are now, providing the lowest possible shipping rates without intermediaries’ help.
How does ShipStation improve the customer experience?
With shipping management for the convenience of the enterprise and several automating components, ShipStation is useful for delivering orders quickly and correctly. This makes the experience of the clients better, which results in increased rate of satisfaction and returns.
Can ShipStation handle international shipping?
Yes, ShipStation has the function of multination shipping with a lot of great features on customs forms, international shipping rates and ways of delivery, which helps business become much easier when they want to enter the international market.
How does ShipStation ensure data security?
ShipStation uses encryption to ensure that the customers’ data is safe, stores the data with advanced security measures, and complies with requirements of the industry. This helps to guarantee that no business preparing sensitive knowledge to ShipStation can go berserk..
Is there customer support available for ShipStation users?
Yes, customer support is available to help those who have a problem with ShipStation or simply questions they want to ask. Such support helps to guarantee that every business will be able to harness the advantages of using ShipStation.
How does ShipStation handle returns?
ShipStation also reduces the complexity of the returns process since business can easily create return labels and manage returns. This also enhances the quality experience of the customer and also slashed the cumbersome process of returning the item.
What are the pricing options for ShipStation?
Current, ShipStation provides its users with different prices for different shipment scales from small start-ups to big businesses. These plans offer some leeways and the growth capability in order that the companies are able to precisely choose their option.
How can businesses get started with ShipStation?
To start using ShipStation for operations, companies need to create an account with the software and connect it to their selling channels. ShipStation has detailed tutorials and resources that the companies can follow to easily implement and get started on its shipping solutions.
What sets ShipStation apart from other shipping software?
ShipStation has a few edges over the others because of integration options, simplicity of use, automation, and customer service. It is recommended for e-commerce organizations that aim to optimize their shipping processes due to the following factors.
Finally, Auctane ShipStation is the best tool for improving e-commerce shipping as it is easy to use, compatible with multiple platforms, highly customizable, and automates processes. Thus, the new USPS agreement guarantees that Auctane’s customers can still achieve minimum shipment prices, which makes the application essential for businesses of any type and size.
