---
title: Increasing Shipping Speed in eCommerce
description: Many eCommerce retailers could use some improvement to their shipping speed, even if it's just within the customer's perception. Here's how to ship much faster!
image: https://blog.shift4shop.com/hubfs/ThinkstockPhotos-466491140.png
---

[![eCommerce Blog](https://blog.shift4shop.com/hubfs/shift4shop/shift4-blog.jpg)](https://blog.shift4shop.com/)

[![shift4shop logo](https://blog.shift4shop.com/hubfs/shift4shop/shift4shop-Black.png) |Blog](https://blog.3dcart.com/)

[Sign Up](https://www.3dcart.com/freetrial.htm?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog-cta&utm_content=free-trial-cta)

[Subscribe](https://blog.shift4shop.com/increasing-shipping-speed-in-ecommerce#subscribeBlock)

[Shipping & Fulfillment](https://blog.shift4shop.com/topic/shipping-fulfillment)| 7 min read

# Increasing Shipping Speed in eCommerce

 By [Guest Author](https://blog.shift4shop.com/author/guest-author) [5 Comments](https://blog.shift4shop.com/increasing-shipping-speed-in-ecommerce#comments-listing)

![](https://blog.shift4shop.com/hubfs/ThinkstockPhotos-466491140.png)

When you own an eCommerce company, one of the last things you’ll want to typically think about is logistics. Nowadays, however, the pressure is higher than ever to deliver (pun intended) the best experience to your customers throughout the purchasing process. One segment of this process in which many eCommerce companies can improve significantly is the *shipping speed* to their customers!

I’m sure you’ve been there before: you order a product you’re incredibly excited about. However, as time wears on and your tracking number updates at a glacial pace, your enthusiasm wanes considerably. So much so, in fact, that by the time you actually *receive* your product, you barely even remember ordering it in the first place.

Why not capitalize on your customers’ excitement by helping them receive the product as quickly as possible? In this article, you’ll learn four key ways to increase your shipping speed.

## **Same-Day Picking**

When your customer places an order during her lunch break, one of the first things you can do to reinforce a positive purchase experience is let her know that her order was picked *that day*. Most every shopping cart has a notification option that enables the customer to receive notifications throughout the fulfillment process. Some of these stages include when the order is submitted for fulfillment, when it is shipped, when the labels are printed, etc. Even if you elect to manually turn these notifications off, it is indeed best practice to either work with a [fulfillment company](https://blog.shift4shop.com/select-a-fulfillment-company) that offers same-day picking *or* to pick the product yourself before your carrier or post office’s closing time if you are going the self-fulfillment route.

The advantage of same-day picking is obvious. Many companies have a 24-hour pick policy. In other words, your customer who orders a product during her lunch break on Monday may not even have her order picked until the same time on Tuesday! This one-day delay can cost you a full day in shipping time, regardless of what carrier you use.

While same-day picking is desirable for the customer, you will need to set expectations properly if you elect to offer this service. If you guarantee same-day picking up through and beyond your carrier’s delivery window, the added value isn’t particularly great. In other words, you want to advertise same-day picking *only if* you can reliably get that order shipped out to the carrier that *same day*. A reasonable time window for most businesses (fulfillment companies or self-fulfilling eCommerce stores) is 2-3 hours. In other words, if your carrier picks up at 5 p.m., all orders for same-day picking must be in by roughly 3pm. This buffer zone will also provide the customer a window of opportunity in which to cancel or modify their orders.

 

## **Multiple Locations**

Fulfilling orders from multiple locations is a surefire way to [increase shipping speed](https://www.shipbob.com/blog/ecommerce-shipping/), although it is *definitely* not the most cost-effective. Shipping speed (and pricing) is frequently dictated by something called “zones”, which are latitudinal and longitudinal separations of the country. Depending on how many zones your shipment will have to cross will affect either your pricing, your shipping speed, or both!

A package going from Miami to Seattle will have to cross several zones, and will likely take the “high-end” of your delivery expectation. So, for instance, if your carrier offers you a 3-5 business day shipping estimate, you can bank on a Miami-Seattle run taking 4-5 days.

But what if you had a warehouse in Miami and in Los Angeles? If you can fulfill the order from the Los Angeles warehouse, your shipment to Seattle won’t take 5 days. In fact, it is not at all uncommon for short-zone shipments to *overperform* the carrier’s expectation. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that such a shipment could take a mere 2 days!

Naturally, shipping from multiple warehouses is cost-prohibitive for most eCommerce companies. However, partnering with a fulfillment center that has multiple locations can essentially allow you to benefit from their size and scope. You would simply ensure that you have inventory at both fulfillment centers and let them take care of the rest!

 

## **Leverage Expedited Services**

We’ve all heard of [FedEx](https://www.3dcart.com/shopping-cart-software/fedex.html) overnight. It’s a fabulous service that allows you to ship a parcel from one part of the country to *anywhere else* in the country overnight. Obviously, the cost of most overnight services is *incredibly* high. The good news, however, is that the price for the *middle tier* of expedited shipping is extremely reasonable.

It will be difficult (although not impossible) for an individual eCommerce store to receive majorly discounted rates from services like [FedEx](https://www.3dcart.com/shopping-cart-software/fedex.html), DHL, and UPS with regards to their expedited services. However, with a fulfillment center, you will be able to take advantage of their volume based discounts. You may find that shipping options such as two-day shipping that would have cost *you* $10 or more now cost you only $6-$7. These savings can be passed on to your customer, and they can enable you to *guarantee* a quicker delivery.

Consider, for example, FedEx’s 2-Day delivery service, “FedEx 2Day”. If you and your competitor are offering a similar product, and you charge $25 for the product with shipping not included and your competitor charges $35 for 7-day free shipping, you could have room for a competitive advantage by pricing expedited shipping into your product. So, if shipping costs you $6 to ship FedEx 2Day, you might consider sacrificing one dollar of margin to ultimately charge $30 for 2-day shipping. You’ve now undercut your competitor on both price and speed, and you are in a phenomenal position to win more customers as a result!

Expedited services are a useful way to increase shipping speed, but they absolutely have their limitations. These services can be cost-prohibitive if the size of the product grows too large. Furthermore, they are *expensive* and are best suited towards premium products with relatively comfortable margins.

 

## Delayed Notifications

At the beginning of this article, we spoke a bit about same-day picking. However, an alternative to same-day picking is something called a “delayed shipping” notification. Both same-day picking and delayed shipping notifications are two sides of the same coin, and they both revolve entirely around setting the right *expectation* for your customers.

Consider two customers living next door to each other. Both place an order on Monday at noon. The first customer, let’s call her Alice, has the expectation confirmed that evening at 6pm that her order was picked, and then receives a shipping confirmation the next day on Tuesday. The second customer, let’s call him Brian, receives confirmation that his order has shipped on Wednesday. Both Alice and Brian ordered 3-5-day shipping. Both clients receive their packages on Friday.

Who do you think had the better experience, Alice or Brian? Neither choice is incorrect here, but one thing is certain: the *perceived value* of Brian’s shipping experience was much better. So, since both customers live in the same zone and ordered the same product on the same day, why did Brian’s order take only 2 days to deliver, whereas Alice’s took 3 days?

The truth is that *both* packages took 3 days to deliver. The difference is that Brian had a delayed shipping notification – he was not notified until the day *after* his package had already shipped. In doing this, the company traded off on the processing time. Remember, delaying shipping notification means that the pick/pack process will be perceived as taking longer. Find out which option is most palatable to your customers and go with it!

 

## **Conclusion**

Shipping speeds are increasing throughout eCommerce. With Amazon’s latest advances, same-day shipping is becoming a reality for many customers. But if your product quality and brand perception is high, you don’t need to succumb to the pressure of competing with giants like [Amazon](https://www.3dcart.com/sell-on-amazon.html) in speed. As I hope you’ve seen, there are plenty of things that you can do to increase shipping speed without breaking the bank.

 

*For more eCommerce shipping essentials, check out our free Beginner's Guide to eCommerce Shipping.*

[![Download "The Gift-Shopping Guide for eCommerce Stores"](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3365633/6ce09d27-7676-457b-9bd9-72f10dd88122.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3365633/6ce09d27-7676-457b-9bd9-72f10dd88122)

 

*![augie-kennady.png](https://blog.shift4shop.com/hs-fs/hubfs/augie-kennady.png?width=300&name=augie-kennady.png "augie-kennady.png")Augie Kennady graduated from Columbia University and has spent his time since working in the fascinating world of eCommerce. He is the Media Relations Director for [ShipMonk](https://www.shipmonk.com/).*

- [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share)

### Leave a reply or comment below

### Sign up for Marketing Tips

### Related posts

[How To Calculate Inventory Shrinkage and Mitigate Its Risks](https://blog.shift4shop.com/calculate-inventory-shrinkage-mitigate-risks)

Inventory shrinkage is the bane of every retailer’s existence. You work hard to source stock to sell, so when it disappears before you can sell it, that’s a problem. But it’s a problem that you need ...

[Read More](https://blog.shift4shop.com/calculate-inventory-shrinkage-mitigate-risks)

November 08, 2023

[Mastering eCommerce Freight: A Guide for Small to Mid-Sized Businesses](https://blog.shift4shop.com/ecommerce-freight-guide-small-mid-sized-businesses)

Ensuring smooth eCommerce freight logistics is a challenge for many small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) that operate globally, often grappling with high shipping costs, complex customs regulations, ...

[Read More](https://blog.shift4shop.com/ecommerce-freight-guide-small-mid-sized-businesses)

August 09, 2023

[The Growing Importance of eCommerce Inventory Accuracy](https://blog.shift4shop.com/ecommerce-inventory-accuracy)

If you work in retail or eCommerce, inventory is the lifeblood of your company. You also carefully pick the best people and recruit top talent to ensure areas like order fulfillment operate as ...

[Read More](https://blog.shift4shop.com/ecommerce-inventory-accuracy)

August 02, 2023

[![3dcart logo](https://blog.shift4shop.com/hubfs/shift4shop/shift4shop-Black.png) |Blog](https://blog.3dcart.com/)

### Sign up for Marketing Tips

[![New call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3365633/fcff512b-4483-4b5f-b166-fec0d89749f8.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3365633/fcff512b-4483-4b5f-b166-fec0d89749f8)

 

### Resources

[Apps & Integrations](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/apps-integrations)

[B2B Ecommerce](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/b2b-ecommerce)

[Conversion Optimization](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/conversion-optimization)

[Customer Service](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/customer-service)

[Digital Payments](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/digital-payments)

[Ecommerce Features](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/ecommerce-features)

[Ecommerce Marketing](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/ecommerce-marketing)

[eCommerce News](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/ecommerce-news)

[Email Marketing](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/email-marketing)

[Fraud Prevention](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/fraud-prevention)

[Holiday Shopping](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/holiday-shopping)

[Search Engine Optimization](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/seo)

[Shipping & Fulfillment](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/shipping-fulfillment)

[Social Media](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/social)

[Starting an Online Business](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/starting-a-business)

[Success Stories](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/success-stories)

[Web Design](https://blog.3dcart.com/topic/web-design)

 

### Popular Articles

Search Articles



 [![3dcart eCommerce Blog - Blog Directory OnToplist.com](https://www.ontoplist.com/images/ontoplist31.png?id=59e75cd39646e)](https://www.ontoplist.com/blogs/3dcart-ecommerce-blog_59e75cd39646e/)

[Want to be a Guest Author?](https://blog.3dcart.com/guest-posts-application)

<https://www.facebook.com/3dCart> <https://twitter.com/3dcart> <https://plus.google.com/+3dcart>

Copyright © 2023 Shift4Shop. All Rights Reserved.

## Rocket Fuel for Your Business

About Shift4Shop

![](https://www.shift4shop.com/2021/images/icons/dropdown-blue.svg)

[Why Shift4Shop](https://www.shift4shop.com/why-3dcart.html) [Shopping Cart Software](https://www.shift4shop.com/shopping-cart-software.html) [Success Stories](https://www.shift4shop.com/lp/success-stories/) [Shift4Shop Reviews](https://www.shift4shop.com/shopping-cart-reviews.html) [eCommerce Blog](https://blog.shift4shop.com/) [Sitemap](https://www.shift4shop.com/sitemap.html)

eCommerce

![](https://www.shift4shop.com/2021/images/icons/dropdown-blue.svg)

[Features](https://www.shift4shop.com/all-features.html) [How to Sell Online](https://www.shift4shop.com/sell-online.htm) [Create a Website](https://www.shift4shop.com/build-ecommerce-website.htm) [Start an Online Store](https://www.shift4shop.com/start-an-online-store.html) [eCommerce](https://www.shift4shop.com/ecommerce-saas.html) [Online Store Builder](https://www.shift4shop.com/build-an-online-store.html)

Resources

![](https://www.shift4shop.com/2021/images/icons/dropdown-blue.svg)

[eCommerce Web Design](https://www.shift4shop.com/ecommerce-web-design.htm) [eCommerce Marketing](https://www.shift4shop.com/ecommerce-marketing-tools.html) [Custom Development](https://www.shift4shop.com/custom-development.html) [Start an Online Business](https://www.shift4shop.com/start-an-online-business.html) [App Store](https://apps.shift4shop.com/) [Theme Store](https://themes.shift4shop.com/)

Technical Support

![](https://www.shift4shop.com/2021/images/icons/dropdown-blue.svg)

[Support Center](https://support.3dcart.com/) [eCommerce Forum](https://forums.shift4shop.com/) [eCommerce University](https://www.shift4shop.com/lp/ecommerce-university/) [Developer Portal](https://developer.3dcart.com/) [Supported Payments](https://www.shift4shop.com/ecommerce-payment-gateways.html)

Company

![](https://www.shift4shop.com/2021/images/icons/dropdown-blue.svg)

[About Us](https://www.shift4shop.com/aboutus.htm) [Contact Us](https://www.shift4shop.com/aboutus.htm#contact-area) [Become a Partner](https://www.shift4shop.com/ecommerce-partners.html) [Affiliate Program](https://www.shift4shop.com/3dcart-affiliates.html)

Copyright © 2025 Shift4Shop

[Terms and Conditions](https://www.shift4shop.com/legal.html) [Privacy Policy](https://www.shift4shop.com/privacy.html)

<https://www.facebook.com/Shift4Payments/> <https://x.com/shift4> <https://www.youtube.com/@Shift4Shop> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/shift4> <https://www.instagram.com/shift4/>

<https://www.facebook.com/Shift4Payments/> <https://x.com/shift4> <https://www.youtube.com/@Shift4Shop> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/shift4> <https://www.instagram.com/shift4/>

Copyright © 2025 Shift4Shop

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "Organization",
  "address" : {
    "@type" : "PostalAddress",
    "addressCountry" : "United States",
    "addressLocality" : "Center Valley",
    "addressRegion" : "PA",
    "postalCode" : "18034",
    "streetAddress" : "3501 Corporate Pkwy "
  },
  "alternateName" : "3dcart Shopping Cart Software",
  "areaServed" : {
    "@type" : "GeoCircle",
    "geoMidpoint" : {
      "@type" : "GeoCoordinates",
      "latitude" : "37.0902",
      "longitude" : "95.7129"
    },
    "geoRadius" : "500 km"
  },
  "description" : "Shopping Cart Software",
  "email" : "sales@3dcart.com",
  "image" : "https://www.3dcart.com/images/logo.png",
  "logo" : "https://www.3dcart.com/images/logo.png",
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://blog.shift4shop.com/increasing-shipping-speed-in-ecommerce",
    "@type" : "WebPage",
    "description" : "Many eCommerce retailers could use some improvement to their shipping speed, even if it's just within the customer's perception. Here's how to ship much faster!"
  },
  "naics" : "5112",
  "name" : "3dcart",
  "sameAs" : [ "https://www.3dcart.com", "https://www.facebook.com/3dcart", "https://www.twitter.com/3dcart", "https://plus.google.com/+3dcart", "https://instagram.com/3dcart/", "https://www.youtube.com/3dcart", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/3dcart.com", "https://www.pinterest.com/3dcart" ],
  "telephone" : "8882762108",
  "url" : "https://www.shift4shop.com"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Guest Author"
  },
  "dateModified" : "March 12, 2020, 2:24:09 PM",
  "datePublished" : "2018-03-09 16:00:00",
  "description" : "Many eCommerce retailers could use some improvement to their shipping speed, even if it's just within the customer's perception. Here's how to ship much faster!",
  "headline" : "Increasing Shipping Speed in eCommerce",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "url" : "https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/3365633/ThinkstockPhotos-466491140.png"
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://blog.3dcart.com",
    "@type" : "WebPage",
    "description" : "eCommerce Blog by 3dcart"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://www.3dcart.com/images/logo.png"
    },
    "name" : "3dcart"
  }
}
```