Kewill

Google FedEx SmartPost or UPS SurePost and plenty of hits show up in the search results. Some reviews are positive, extolling benefits that include cost effectiveness and fewer surcharges over air/ground alternatives, end-to-end package visibility, free Saturday delivery, and more. However, your search results will include complaints ranging from transit times that were too lengthy to crushed/damaged packages. One thing is for sure: With the meteoric growth of e-commerce and consumers’ demand for free or low cost shipping, these services are here to stay.

Delivery is an essential part of the customer experience, and retailers are under increasing competition to offer customers better and cheaper options. But what about your bottom line? Take five minutes to benchmark your shipping operations against current practices. Learn the six best practices to be more competitive and identify opportunities to help meet the business goals of your organization.

Shipping and handling (S&H) complaints usually rank pretty high on the list of gripes customers have against merchants. At the same time, consumers rate parcel delivery companies as some of the best in customer service*. Is there a disconnect in the consumer’s mind, or is there more to this dichotomy than meets the eye? Catalog Success asked Jeff Kline, a veteran of catalog fulfillment, to share his advice on how you can increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of your outbound parcel shipping services — while at the same time maintaining or even improving your customer service objectives. Kline is president of

By Donna Loyle Shipping and handling (S&H) complaints usually rank pretty high on the list of gripes customers have against merchants. At the same time, consumers rate parcel delivery companies as some of the best in customer service*. Is there a disconnect in the consumer's mind, or is there more to this dichotomy than meets the eye? Catalog Success asked Jeff Kline, a veteran of catalog fulfillment, to share his advice on how you can increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of your outbound parcel shipping services — while at the same time maintaining or even improving your customer service objectives. Kline

By Donna Loyle The following new products and services can help catalogers reduce costs and improve the efficiency of their outbound-shipping initiatives and their returns services. This is not meant to be an exhaustive accounting of the newest and most innovative solutions; rather, the products and services listed here represent a general roundup of what’s now available on the market and how they can benefit your catalog operation. FOR OUTBOUND SHIPMENTS Sturdy and Snug Fulfillment Packaging Tru-Tech’s Cold Fusion packaging process forms a snug fit around a product, thus reducing the amount of air that is shipped. It uses a top