subject: Preferred Suppliers Or The Cheapest Courier Service? [print this page] . Business should always keep the customer in mind, these are the backbone of success, people that can keep a business alive or send it under and their influence should never be underestimated.
The online business is where it is at right now, it is where serious money can be made and where brands can be launched and go global or flop and go under and it is the customer service and competitive edge which make the real difference. Take an ecommerce site or an internet auction site and as a customer, you will know that the price charged for delivery can be the difference between buying a product, going away to think about it (which is a nightmare for the business in question) and deciding not to buy the product after all (worst case scenario). The problem with the last two or these is that this may be a total loss of a customer for the business if they find the same product elsewhere with cheaper delivery charges.
So should businesses that use courier companies go with preferred suppliers or simply the cheapest courier service available each time? Because the parcel delivery market is so fast pace and growing and developing all the time, it can be difficult to keep on top of which international couriers and shipping companies are in fact the cheapest and it can be easier to agree set prices with a list of preferred suppliers which is subject to regular review. The problem with that is that you can miss out on the latest deals and offers and in that case it can be better to use one single company which works with all the cheapest and most reliable suppliers and pass the discounts they receive from courier companies onto the customer.
Customers dont generally mind how you have found the most cost effective way to offer package delivery just as long as they are getting the best deal and the best service whenever they buy online or from a mail order catalogue. The important thing for businesses to remember is that finding the cheapest courier service is an ongoing process, one which must be reviewed on a regular basis by the company in question and while the big players certainly hold sway, they need to remain competitive in order to retain their brand status.
