What Entrepreneurs Need to Know About Holiday Shipping This Year The global supply chain is feeling massive pressure in the wake of Covid-19. Here's what small-business owners should know, and do, to help make this holiday season efficient and profitable.

While many people are adjusting to a sense of normal in their work and personal lives, one area that is still feeling the effects of the global pandemic is shipping. Capacity shortages are limiting the amount of volume that can travel in a supply chain network, meaning shipments are taking longer to get from point A to point B. And because of simple supply and demand, shipping prices are on the rise.

As we enter the end-of-year holiday season, the state of shipping will impact businesses and customers alike. "Even if you are a small business with lower volume, you need to plan and prepare for your holiday shipping season," says Clarisa Bossler, Product Marketing Manager at Pitney Bowes. "Supply chains are going to work to figure out how to best handle volumes running through their networks" well into the New Year, she says.

Some things small-business owners can do is look out for supplier timelines, carrier options, shipping prices (price increases, surcharges), and carrier timelines to ensure you get your orders out in time. Thankfully, using a tools such as SendPro® Online from Pitney Bowes can help.

Here, Bossler shares three things entrepreneurs need to know about holiday shipping this year and how they can make the best of a complicated supply chain situation.

1. Be ready for price increases.

National carriers, including the USPS, have implemented price increases for the holiday season. This is something that small business should account for to protect their bottom line.

"Not only are price increases happening across the board, but holiday surcharges—in addition to various other surcharges like fuel and residential delivery—can be something to look out for," Bossler says.

Online shipping tools like SendPro Online can help small business protect their profit margins by providing the best discounts on USPS and UPS delivery options. When comparing rates between these carriers, people who use SendPro Online can save 5 cents on first-class letters and up to 40 percent on priority mail.

"In addition to discounted rates, UPS is also waiving all Peak and Fuel surcharges for SendPro Online customers," Bossler says.

2. Keep track of changing carrier timelines.

Due to the pressure the global supply chain is experiencing, shipping carriers all have different cut-off dates this holiday season. Small-business owners should familiarize themselves with those dates and communicate them to their customers via their website so customers can get orders placed and items delivered in time.

"Business owners should not take the blame for shipping delays, but many times customers associate late deliveries with the merchant themselves, forgetting there is a lot that goes into getting a package from point A to B," Bossler says. SendPro Online pulls every delivery option from your carriers into one place and even provides a Best Match recommendation based on either price or delivery date. This allows you to make the best selection for each of your orders, control costs, and meet customer expectations.

"To protect your brand reputation, research shipping deadlines for each carrier you use, offer the right delivery options, and communicate expected delivery dates with customers," Bossler advises. "This will help minimize negative customer experiences that may be associated to your brand." If a USPS Priority Mail package is not delivered on time, SendPro Online offers Delivery Assurance, which credits the cost of return postage, even during the holiday season.

3. Ship smarter with reporting and analytics.

The end-of-year holiday season is something small businesses navigate every year. It is important to have good historical data, reporting, and analytics to use in making business decisions for the next year.

"Having this information handy and organized can help with production, inventory, staffing, shipping, and technology decisions to simplify business processes and improve customer experiences," Bossler says. SendPro Online allows you to see your shipping history and spend at the carrier, shipment, or package type. This allows you to see things like how many labels were generated, what delivery class was chosen, and which packaging was used to leverage information for future business decisions.

By understanding what consumers are searching for and identifying their buying patterns, businesses can better deliver selling experiences to new and existing customers. Capturing business data can also help alleviate costs. For example, knowing what size box you need for popular products can help you standardize box sizes for common orders and better predict shipping costs, Bossler says. "It also helps you understand where you can increase efficiencies, like dropping aggregated orders on designated days to the carrier store and avoid having to complete multiple trips," she says.

Click here to learn more about how SendPro Online can help you navigate the complicated holiday shipping season this year.