Shipping labels play a crucial role in the intricate world of e-commerce. While they might seem like small pieces of the puzzle, they are instrumental in both inbound and outbound logistics, significantly impacting your online store’s success and customer satisfaction.
In this blog post, we’ll delve into the intricacies of shipping labels, understanding their significance, decoding the information they contain, and exploring how you can print your own to streamline your shipping process.
What is a Shipping Label?
A shipping label is more than just a tag on a package. It’s a detailed communication tool that conveys essential information to carriers during transportation. This information includes the destination’s postal code, country, tracking number, weight, destination address, return address, and shipping method, among other details. These labels are the lifeline of your supply chain, ensuring that your packages reach their intended destinations smoothly.
Why Are Shipping Labels Important?
The importance of shipping labels through the best industrial label printers cannot be overstated. They serve as the roadmap for carriers, guiding packages from their starting point, be it a warehouse or fulfilment centre, to the customer’s doorstep. Incorrect or missing labels can lead to a cascade of issues, including delays, misdeliveries, or even complete loss of packages. The repercussions extend beyond logistics, affecting your brand’s reputation and customer loyalty.
Understanding Shipping Labels
Deciphering the information on shipping labels can be challenging. Let’s break down the key elements found on these labels to demystify their contents:
Recipient Information
The label needs to have a name, address, and phone number. These vital details guide the carrier and provide a contact point for the recipient.
Sender Information
Another crucial information that industrial label printers must imprint on it is the sender’s address. It ensures that undeliverable packages return to the sender, enhancing the unboxing experience.
Package Tracking
The tracking number and barcode are also essential elements for the shipping label. These unique identifiers allow carriers and customers to monitor the package’s journey in real-time.
Information Codes
Unidirectional or QR codes also find their way onto the label. These machine-readable symbols convey digital versions of label information.
Logistics Details
Other logistics details, such as weight and shipping methods, are also on the label. The weight allows for accurate rate calculation and efficient loading onto trucks, considering weight restrictions. Additionally, the shipping method on the label indicates the handling requirements, which is crucial for offering varied shipping options.
Payment
There is also payment information that specifies whether postage has been prepaid, a vital aspect for online retailers and fulfilment providers.
How to Create a Shipping Label: A Step-by-Step Guide?
Creating your own shipping labels is a strategic move that can save you both time and money. Whether you’re a small business owner or managing a bustling e-commerce operation, understanding the process of generating accurate shipping labels is essential. Below, we’ll walk you through a comprehensive step-by-step guide to creating shipping labels.
Step 1: Visit Your Carrier’s Website
The first step is to research and find a few carriers that align with your shipping preferences. Their labels will match the ones you will need and function as a benchmark for your labelling.
- Choose the carrier that aligns with your shipping needs and preferences.
- Input the required information, including sender details, receiver details, and shipping specifics.
- Be meticulous in providing accurate information to ensure the smooth flow of your package through the logistics network.
- Once you’ve filled out the template, download the shipping label.
- Print the label on a standard 4×6 inch or 10×15 centimetre label size, ensuring clarity and readability.
- Securely affix the label to your package using adhesive tape or other suitable materials.
- Ensure the label is prominently visible and won’t detach during transit.
Step 2: Utilise Shipping Label Templates
When you get the desired label from a competitor, then it is time to look into the vast world of the internet.
- Take advantage of the numerous free shipping label templates available online, such as Shopify’s tool.
- Provide necessary information such as sender’s details, receiver’s details, shipping date, and package weight.
- Let the template generator create a professional-looking shipping label for you.
- Download the label and proceed to print it.
- Follow the same guidelines for secure attachment as outlined in Step 1.
Step 3: Explore Third-Party Solutions
Handling the labelling can be exhausting if you transport large volumes of products. In that case, contacting fulfilment services is a wise choice.
- If you’re managing a substantial volume of orders, explore shipping software for more streamlined label generation.
- Collaborate with a third-party logistics provider to handle your shipping on your behalf.
- Such providers often offer comprehensive solutions, including label creation, order fulfilment, and logistics management.
Step 4: Include All Necessary Information
There are a few common errors that may happen in the world of shipping labels. Be wary not to commit these.
- Double-check and ensure that all required fields are filled out accurately on the shipping label.
- Key information includes sender and recipient names, addresses, phone numbers, shipping date, tracking number, and package weight.
Step 5: Secure Attachment
Adhesion is crucial in the field of shipping labels. Without those, all the above efforts will be vain.
- Use strong adhesive to attach the label to your package.
- Place it on the flat side of the package to prevent folding or obscuring the barcode, which could lead to issues during sorting and transit.
In Conclusion
Mastering shipping labels is a vital aspect of ensuring smooth e-commerce operations. With a clear understanding of their importance and the ability to create accurate labels, you can enhance customer satisfaction, streamline logistics, and contribute to the success of your online store.
DAL is a premium label manufacturing company in Australia. We use the best products to create the most affordable labels for companies across vertices. You can contact us for labels that make an impact.
