Shipping Strategies
Shipping Strategies
Carriers
3 Strategies to Tackle Cart Abandonment Due to Shipping Costs
Last Updated
June 25, 2023
4 minutes
Written By
Alise Birzniece
A large share of online carts get abandoned before checkout completes, and shipping is the leading reason in most cases: a sizeable chunk of shoppers walk away over high shipping fees, and a smaller but meaningful share leave because delivery looks too slow. Other friction points — forced account creation, a long checkout flow, and not seeing the total cost upfront — matter too, but shipping cost and speed dominate. Optimizing e-commerce shipping is the fix, and this piece covers three concrete strategies.
Offer free shipping
A large share of shoppers globally say they mainly buy from retailers offering free delivery and returns — free shipping is close to an expected standard at this point, and it drives increased sales and retention, stronger customer loyalty, and higher average order value. The key is that the delivery fee should never come directly out of profit margin; it should be built into product pricing instead. That lets a business offer 'free' shipping at checkout while protecting profitability — a better outcome for both the business and the customer.
Optimise product packaging
Carriers frequently price shipments using dimensional (DIM) weight, which calculates the charge from a package's dimensions rather than its actual weight. Choosing packaging that closely fits the product reduces DIM weight and therefore cost, while also lowering the risk of in-transit damage — which cuts down on replacements and refunds. Investing in better-fitting packaging pays off on both shipping cost and customer satisfaction.
How Swotzy helps
Swotzy brings the cheapest, fastest, or most sustainable delivery options together in one platform: compare carriers, create shipments quickly, fill in customs details easily, and manage everything without signing contracts. Store integration can be as simple as a one-click connection, a full API integration, or a webhook, depending on what's needed. Creating a free account makes it possible to see the difference in the shipping process directly.
The three levers that move the needle on shipping-driven cart abandonment are offering free shipping (funded through pricing, not margin), tightening packaging to avoid dimensional-weight surcharges, and using a shipping platform to get better rates and reliability without manual carrier comparison.
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