The world of eCommerce thrives on the capabilities of store and business owners to reach audiences that are far from their base. This success often involves a well-designed business website and an accommodating shipping policy.
Shipping policy describes the rules and options that you present your customers with upon checkout. It answers all the questions a particular customer may have about getting your product to their homes. There are many shipping policy templates online that you can use as your basis when making your own. Regardless of where you get your inspiration from, your shipping policy template is genuinely unique to your store because it depends on what you can handle and what your product is. It also will depend on the deals you made with certain outside parties and may change according to your business’ circumstances at certain times.
You must have a straightforward statement of your shipping policy as it could make or break your business endeavor. Most customers don’t continue with their checkout because the store’s shipping policy did not sit well with them. Therefore, your shipping policy template must be concise and appropriate for your business and target market. You should consider every aspect carefully because it is a significant part of your business.
Usually, your shipping policy is written alongside your online store’s return policy. Contrary to your shipping policy, your return policy explains to your customers the rules and regulations you have about returns and refunds. Here, be clear about what events you allow returns and refunds and how your customer will go about doing so.
Besides your return policy, usual shipping policy templates include:
- Couriers - some customers have unpleasant experiences with certain courier services, and so they are careful about ordering online. Stating what courier services you have partnered with helps you build a more trusting relationship with your customers, and it allows them to feel like they have control of the situation.
- Shipping Costs - Free shipping text written on the website or the checkout message is truly eye candy for many customers. It is usually a selling point if you can offer free shipping to your customers. However, shipping policy templates also usually show you different options for your customers for shipping. It can be a flat rate that varies depending on the location, or a rate based on size/weight, or a rate based on the time they want it to be delivered, and many more.
- Shipping Time - There is a certain satisfaction with receiving and opening a package that you ordered. And with that, the shipping policy template you must use should show the time it takes for customers to receive their orders. It is helpful and encouraging for your customers to know how long they have to wait for your product. And if it is fast enough for them, it entices them to purchase more frequently from your online store.
- Shipping Restrictions - Realize that while you want to serve anyone and everyone, there are limitations to the audience that you can deliver to. It is important not to get your customers excited about your products, only to disappoint them afterward. Your shipping policy template must clearly show if you do not or cannot deliver to specific locations.
- Local Shipment Policy - It is essential that you present options to your customers where you deliver. You can add a local shipment policy in a separate section or part of the shipping policy template you use as a way of telling your customers that you are open to other options than through courier services. Some online stores also have physical stores where their customers can pick up their orders. Your shipment policy should explain the steps your customers need to follow in this setup. You might also consider having specific prices for local deliveries.
- International Shipping Policies - In contrast to your local shipment policy, you must also declare what your customers need to know about your accommodations to international addresses. Your shipping policy template must show what locations around the world that your business can cater to. You must also lay out costs that come with it and the transit time that they should expect. Your international shipping policies are crucial for getting customers from all over the world and for genuinely going global with your business.
Shipping Policy Examples
While there are many shipping templates that can be found online, we want to help you streamline your search. Here are some sample shipping policy templates that you can use as reference:
• Project Nomad
Project Nomad is an organization that partners with local and rural artisans in Asia and helps them use their skills in making specific products and enables them to reach a global audience. They aim to give these people the platforms they need to grow as a business and community. Currently, they are in partnership with artisans in Roopsi Village. Each purchase of their product goes directly to the fund for the schools in their community. As seen in the photo below, you will see your balance upon checkout, and the platform will request your contact information. In this shipping policy template, customers need to provide their email and phone number. The standard shipping fee is shown, as well as the accepted payment methods.
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
• Bookniture
Bookniture is an innovative business that offers a specific product. While they vary in size, their product revolves around the concept of only carrying or storing furniture that is the size and structure of a book. Bounded on the idea of origami, you can unfold this “book” to form a piece of furniture. You can use this furniture as a table, a footrest, a nightstand, a working desk, and other ways you can think about. It is solid and sturdy, and easy to carry around or store. It can hold a lot of weight and is aesthetically stylish. As shown in the screenshot of their online store, this business uses a shipping policy template that explains what customers should expect even before they check out their shopping carts. They indicate the shipping time for specific locations and present information about customs duties and import tax. This information includes both local and international shipping policies, as well.
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
• Stitched Alive
Stitched Alive customers can customize their items. All the products they offer are hand-stitched, with no machines involved, giving customers even more assurance of its high-quality. They can make all kinds of things, from bikinis for the summer to scarves for the holidays. These are made of the best materials that are tightly woven to prevent coming apart quickly Upon checkout, their shipping policy template asks customers for their email, phone number, and name. The size, color, and other pricing details are laid out in their email as they customize their products for each customer and each order.
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
• Natural Shilajit
This business has one product - natural shilajit. It is a unique product - an alternative medicine you add to your drink. It is said to help you boost your energy, detoxify, improve sleeping patterns and mental health, relieve stress, enhance the immune system, and many more. Their website explains other information you should know about their product and instructions on how to use it. The shipping policy template they use is like our first example that asks for your email and phone number about checkout. What we want to highlight here is that the tax included in their pricing was indicated. This is a helpful feature of their shipping policy since it informs customers firsthand of the additional charge they will pay for, even before they checkout.
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
• Dinner Belle Nashville
This diner in Nashville has a website that its customers can visit to order their food and deliver it home. They offer meals that use locally sourced ingredients and are fresh for each day that they are open. They produce everything from scratch, and so it takes time to prepare their customers’ orders. While their checkout process and shipping policy template are relatively similar to those already mentioned above, we want to highlight how the first page to feature their shipping policies is in their menu. The feature involves customers typing in their location zip code. This would then be cross-referenced to the locations that the restaurant can cater to. It is a shipping policy involving shipping restrictions that are cleverly placed. With this kind of form in place, their customers would not waste time ordering, only to discover that the restaurant could not accommodate them.
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
How to Set-up Your Shipping Policy
1. Log in or Sign up With Strikingly
Image taken from Strikingly Product
2. Open Your Site Editor
Image taken from Strikingly Product
3. Select “Store” then select “Shipping”
Image taken from Strikingly Product
4. Edit or Add Shipping Options
Image taken from Strikingly Product
5. Save Your Settings
The shipping policy template you would use for your online store plays a significant role in the success of your business. And we hope that with this shipping policy information and shipping policy examples, we have given you some insight and help to use on your website. Add multiple shipping options and satisfy more customers! Sign up with Strikingly now and reap the benefits of having hundreds of templates to choose from!
