E-commerce in India is BIG! It grew by 36% in 2020 with websites showing a 94% volume growth. The main hurdle for e-commerce stores in providing a seamless customer experience is shipping. The online stores rely on shipping or delivery partners for order pickup, warehousing, transportation, and delivery of goods including the repeat process for product returns.
Logistics services are pivotal for e-commerce growth. When looking for a reliable shipping partner, the e-commerce stores focus on-
Which are the preferred shipping partners for e-commerce businesses in the US?
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Affordable shipping services
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Easy integrations with websites
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Technology-driven solutions
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Accessibility & reliability
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Fast delivery options
The rates of shipping are dependent on various factors such as location, distance, mode of delivery, bulk shipping, and weight of the parcel. Here is a chart with shipping estimates for all over India.
| Blue Dart | Ecom Express | Delhivery | DTDC | DHL | XpressBees | Shadofax | Ekart | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | Rate | ||||||||
| Express Shipping | 01 kg | 198 | 120 | 60 | 95 | 166 | |||
| Standard Shipping | 1 kg | 77 | 53 | 87 | 75 | 95 | 91 | 51 | 50 |
| 2 kg | 154 | 106 | 174 | 150 | 190 | 182 | 102 | 100 | |
| 5 kg | 385 | 265 | 435 | 375 | 475 | 455 | 255 | 250 | |
| 10 kg | 774 | 530 | 870 | 750 | 950 | 910 | 510 | 500 | |
E-commerce stores having bulk shipping can negotiate with the providers for the best rates. Of the various available services & solutions, we list the top 10 shipping options in India for e-commerce stores.
1.Blue Dart
A trusted name in shipping and courier services, Blue Dart serves 220 countries worldwide. In India, it offers domestic as well as international shipping. Initially set up in Chennai, it has six dedicated Boeing freight aircraft to ship products to all parts of India. BlueDart charges start from INR 54 within the city, INR 67 within the state and metros, and INR 78 for the rest of India.
Top brands like Flipkart rely on Blue Dart for fast delivery services.
Benefits of Blue Dart:
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Free pick up from selected locations in India
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Track shipments in real-time from pick-up to delivery.
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Resolves regulatory requirements and required clearances
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Free proof of delivery with the consignee name, date, and time of delivery
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Select locations in India are eligible for next-day priority delivery.
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Delivery on holidays including Sundays
2.Ecom Express
Set up in 2012, Ecom Express offers parcel and package delivery for e-commerce stores. It delivers bulk orders across 25,000 pin codes in India. It has over 2,500 delivery fulfillment centers and it has Amazon India, Flipkart, Myntra, Snapdeal, Paytm Shopping, Zara, and Jabong as its e-commerce customers.
ECom Express charges are INR 50 within the city, INR 63 within the state, INR 73 for metros, and INR 80 for the rest of India for a standard parcel of 500 grams.
It offers various services in domestic shipping:
Express- Provides pickup and delivery of packages with end-to-end order tracking. It also supports cash on delivery.
Reverse logistics- Provides pickup from customers and refund processing. Quality checks and condition evaluations are also done.
Digital services- Aadhar-based biometric verification, document collection, delivery services to the banking sector are a few examples of the digital services offered by Ecom Express
3.Gati
Gati Limited is India’s best-known express distribution and supply chain management company offering end-to-end logistics solutions for e-commerce stores. It offers warehouse and storage options as well as pick up from vendor warehouses. Founded in 1989, Gati spans the whole of India covering 19,800 pin codes in around 735 districts.
Benefits of Gati e-commerce shipping solutions:
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It ensures morning pickup and delivery within 21 hours to six metro cities in India
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It offers high-speed air cargo movement with delivery attempts within 12 to 48 hours
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It handles cash on delivery with remittance to the e-retailer within 2 days.
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4.Delhivery
Founded in 2011 with its headquarters in Gurgaon, Delhivery has a nationwide network of shipping services in more than 2300 cities. It has 11000+ partner centers, 70 hubs, and 3000+ delivery centers and remains one of the fastest-growing delivery partners for e-commerce stores in India. Delhivery offers a broad range of delivery services for e-commerce stores such as Snapdeal, Amazon, Flipkart, and Jabong in India.
Its delivery charges vary from INR 30 to 50 for 500 grams depending on the location. The fee is between INR 40-45 for metro cities and INR 50 for tier-2 and tier-3 cities. For reverse logistics, it charges anywhere between 1.2X to 1.5X of the forward logistic cost.
Shipping services- It provides same-day or next-day express delivery services. It also manages returns and address-specific delivery or slot-based delivery.
Special services- It provides high-value product delivery as well as delivery of dangerous goods or hazardous materials. It offers special services in the product replacement and exchange services which are particularly beneficial to online stores that offer return or product exchange.
Technology services- Delhivery offers real-time order tracking and control. It offers consignee address validation and fraud detection. It also offers flexible payment options on delivery.
Cross-border services- Delhivery is well-versed in global B2B and B2C shipping. It provides sea, air cargo, and air express shipping with international fulfillment centers. It also manages cross-border product return and international channel integration. In terms of technology for international shipping, it offers real-time cargo visibility and destination clearance.
5.DTDC
DTDC (Desk to Desk Courier & Cargo) was established in 1990. Headquartered in Bangalore, it has a network in around 10,000 cities and has 6000 channel partners across India. It offers international shipping to over 240 countries. The shipping charges are not fixed and depend on several factors such as weight, location, and type of shipping.
Services offered by DTDC:
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Premium express services to deliver urgent consignments to metropolitan and major cities
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Domestic courier services for delivering documents and small parcels across remote locations in India
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It has offices in the UK to cover the European market, offices in the US and Canada to cover the American continent, an office in Singapore to cover Asia-Pacific regions and an office in Dubai to serve the Middle East countries. It also covers Turkey, Kenya, Oman, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka through a network of business associates and master franchisees.
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Its supply chain solutions consist of air services, rail services, and Full Truck Load (FTL) services.
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It also has state-of-the-art warehouses at strategic locations to offer shipment pick-up and packaging with system-enabled stacking and inventory monitoring processes for customers.
6.DHL
DHL is an international logistics company serving in 220 countries with an international team of over 400,000 shipping professionals. Founded in San Francisco with its headquarters in Bonn, Germany, DHL provides courier, package delivery, and express mail services.
Benefits of using DHL shipping services:
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It offers end-to-end supply chain solutions right from transport to warehousing and management to help e-commerce businesses streamline logistics.
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It offers worldwide shipments with rapid delivery times and door-to-door delivery services.
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It operates 19 network flights, 9000 fleet vehicles, 60 daily international flights in over 25 cities globally.
7.First Flight Couriers
Set up in 1986, First Flight Couriers began by setting up offices in three main cities of Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi. At present, there are more than 1200 offices across India and 2300 authorized collection centers. It has 450+ franchise locations and serves over 6700 pin code destinations across India. It also offers international shipping to over 220 countries through its 10 global offices.
Logistics services offered by First Flight Couriers:
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Domestic shipping services with Cash on Delivery facility
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Round-the-clock delivery including Sundays, on request
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100% internet-based delivery of the proof
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They offer a range of import and export clearance services
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They provide reverse logistics support to e-commerce companies
8.XpressBees
Xpressbees provides custom logistics services ranging from collection to storage, transportation, and door-to-door delivery of goods. Set up in 2015 in Pune, it connects 2,500+ cities with its network of 3000+ offices and services centers. It handles over 3 million shipments daily and has partnered with popular e-commerce brands such as Snapdeal, Firstcry, Netmeds, Bewakoof, Flipkart, Meesho, Myntra, Tata Cliq, and many more.
Shipping services offered by Xpressbees in India for e-commerce stores:
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Seamless reverse logistics
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Same-day or next-day delivery services
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Cross-border multi-modal logistics through the air, surface, and sea.
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Free trade warehousing structures for international shipping
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Third-party logistics support with warehousing, inventory management, and shipping.
9.Shadowfax
Started in 2015, Shadowfax has now one million registered users and provides 20 million monthly deliveries. It serves across 700 cities covering 7000 pin codes. It has helped micro-entrepreneurs through logistics and technology to serve their customers. Its biggest draw is the hyperlocal and last-mile delivery services. Shadowfax has partnered with Swiggy, Zomato, Flipkart, Grofers, BigBasket, Meesho, Nykaa, D-Mart, Big Bazaar, Bewakoof, and many others.
Shadowfax price for surface mode starts from INR 46 within the city, INR 48 within the state, INR 58 for metros, and INR 60 for the rest of India.
Shipping and delivery services offered by Shadowfax to e-commerce stores in India:
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It offers technology-enabled intercity parcel deliveries with live-tracking and end-to-end process solutions. It has marketplace and warehouse pickups, doorstep payments, and reverse logistic services.
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It offers low-cost hyperlocal deliveries for food, grocery, and pharma online stores with API integration and live tracking.
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It offers end-to-end fulfillment options, express and slotted deliveries, and fixed store pickup options for last-mile deliveries in metro and tier-2 cities.
10.Ekart
Started as an in-house supply chain arm for India’s popular e-commerce store Flipkart, Ekart is now a leading logistics and shipping solution provider for various businesses.
Ekart Logistics price in surface mode starts from INR 41 within the city, INR 55 within the state, INR 58 for metros, and INR 62 for the rest of India.
Services offered by Ekart for e-commerce stores in India:
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Ekart provides first and last-mile coverage with easy pickup from the partner facility to customer delivery.
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It also offers reverse logistics and cash on delivery processes
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It provides API-based integration for shipment creation and SMS communication to customers.
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It offers deliveries from e-stores to local customers and to collection points.
Note: FedEx, a popular shipping solutions provider, has recently stopped domestic shipping in India. It only processes international shipments for now.
One thing worth mentioning is Shiprocket and iThinkLogistics. These are automated shipping solutions that connect e-commerce merchants with popular logistics providers to enable product shipping across India and globally. They provide end-to-end logistics and shipping solutions for e-commerce stores to streamline their customer services.
Wrap Up
Shipping is on top of the mind when a business owner sets up an online shop. We advise you to explore the features and shipping charges before you select the best one that is suited for your online business.
