Top 4 tips to reduce shipping costs

In December, UPS and FedEx increased shipping rates by 4 to 5 percent, and in January, the USPS implemented mailing and shipping rate increases, including a 4 percent average increase on domestic shipping. How can businesses quickly adapt to the changes? Here are four tips to ship effectively while saving money.

by Kristina Knight

1. Meter your mail

"The best way to cut your mailing costs is to meter your mail. Businesses using metered mail will enjoy a rate decrease for First-Class Mail to $0.46. Compared to the new non-metered rate of $0.49, that represents a $0.03 discount per piece - a significant savings for businesses of all sizes," said Jeff Crouse, Vice President at Pitney Bowes.

2. Implement a multicarrier system

"For large envelopes, overnight documents and parcels, implementing a multicarrier system can help you select the best carrier for every package, based on multiple factors, including customer delivery requirement, cost, service level, etc. For example, you can select a ground service for a parcel that isn't urgent and overnight for an important legal document with a critical deadline. Having access to all three carriers from one system gives you the information to make the best decision for each parcel," said Crouse.

3. Presort your mail and parcels

"Partnering with a presort service provider helps businesses qualify for significant postage discounts and lower their mailing and shipping costs, streamline operations and simplify financial reporting," said Crouse.

4. Mail now and pay later

"Take advantage of financing options for USPS postage. Pitney Bowes offers flexible postage payment options that help businesses enhance their sending operations, better manage cash flow, and streamline their postal accounting," said Crouse.

Tags: ecommerce, ecommerce shipping, Pitney Bowes, shipping cost trends, shipping costs