What is Expedited Shipping? Why You Must Provide Expedited Shipping to Your Customers

As the name suggests, expedited shipping refers to delivering goods to your customers faster than your regular shipping option. In this type of shipping, there are no stops between the order pick-up point and the final delivery point. 

In other words, the expedited shipments go straight to their destination with no halts on the way. For instance, you’re an e-commerce retailer selling a wide range of consumer electronics. One of your customers has ordered a washing machine and opted for expedited shipping. The product, available at your warehouse, will reach the customer directly via your delivery carrier. There is no need for you to bring the product first to your store and then send it to the customer.    

Expedited shipping, thus, helps save a lot of time, providing clients with faster deliveries without having to compromise on the quality of the product.

Wondering how expedited shipping is different from other types of shipping you already offer though? 

Let’s dig deeper!

If you’re pondering how long does standard shipping take, then let us tell you that the definition of standard shipping varies from company to company. However, the typical duration of standard shipping is two days to a week. 

On the other hand, expedited shipping offers quicker order fulfillment. If the order is time-sensitive or includes perishable goods, it makes sense to choose expedited shipping.   

Moreover, standard shipping is cheaper compared to its expedited counterpart. In the absence of tight timelines and non-perishable goods, standard shipments make for a great option.

While many use the terms expedited and priority shipping interchangeably, they are not one and the same. 

Priority shipping refers to orders that have been given a priority for delivery. Such type of shipping may be a part of a standard shipment. 

Let’s say, you have ten products to send via ten different orders from different customers. Based on the product type, timelines, and customers’ delivery preferences, you’ve created a priority list. Four out of those 10 orders will therefore be delivered first. The remaining six will follow standard delivery. That way, priority shipping is indeed faster than the standard shipping option. But it is also a bit more expensive.  

The primary difference between priority shipping and expedited shipping is that the latter is still faster. Expedited shipping can be overnight shipping or a two-day delivery promise. 

Talking from the price point, priority shipping is more affordable than expedited shipping.

Express shipping is often used to indicate expedited shipping. With express delivery, you can deliver orders faster, typically in two days, the very next day the order has been placed, or even on the same day. Express delivery, when combined with expedited delivery, fulfills orders more rapidly. 

Expedite shipping, on the contrary, generally means “speedier than normal shipping.”

Same-day delivery of orders is often the speediest delivery option available out there. It is regarded as one type of expedited shipping itself when there are slower delivery options available. 

Expedited shipping, by the nature of it, simply refers to a quicker option in comparison to the other shipping options offered. 

The standard delivery timeline varies from business to business. For one e-commerce store, two-day delivery might be a standard shipping option. For another store, two-day or next-day order delivery can be an expedited shipping option. 

It all depends on the way you, as a business, have defined these terms in your shipping policy.

We live in a fast-paced world. So, it is a given that customers would want a faster delivery of products at an affordable pricing over and over. 

If that isn’t all, e-commerce giants like Amazon, provide same-day delivery, as well as two-day delivery options, for free. Yes, there are conditions like minimum billing amount or membership offers, such as Amazon Prime. But all of it only indicates the need to fulfill the inherent expectations customers have to receive their purchases as fast as possible.  

Keeping that in mind, offering expedited shipping is crucial to attracting new clients and retaining the ones you already have. It acts as a perk - a make-or-break deal that has the power to affect your business.

Often it is the delivery option that prospects and clients are unhappy with when they leave their carts midway. A report suggests that about 45% of shoppers abandoned their carts due to unsatisfactory shipping options. 

That clearly indicates the importance of adding expedited shipping as one of your options across product categories. Everyone likes to control when their parcel arrives, after all. And having multiple shipping options to choose from gives them the convenience, flexibility, and control they desire. Even if it comes at a cost. It can impress new and old clients alike, boosting your conversion rate significantly. 

A good order delivery experience plays an integral role in winning a client. When customers receive their products on-time and faster than they expected, it not only makes them trust your brand but they would also go on to recommend it in their circles. That way, you get to acquire new customers. At the same time, you receive orders from your repeat customers again and again, earning solid customer loyalty and building a powerful brand reputation. 

The best part? Many leading warehouse management software tools include shipping management functionality as well. That simplifies the entire shipping process, minimizing errors and improving customer service considerably.