How to Choose the Right Logistic Partner for your Online Business

With the increasing number of people preferring the convenience of having items delivered to their own homes, choosing the right logistics partner is arguably one of the most crucial decisions an ecommerce business has to make. Afterall, they are the ones responsible for delivering your goods to the customers in pristine condition and in a timely manner. An unreliable logistics partner may result in loss of sales and disruptions to your operations and inventory. 

Here, efficient order fulfillment is at the heart of any successful ecommerce business. A seamless fulfillment process ensures that products reach customers on time and in perfect condition, which directly influences customer satisfaction and repeat business. With its focus on precision and reliability, Tactical Logistics can help businesses streamline their order fulfillment systems to reduce delays, prevent errors, and ultimately build a loyal customer base. This involves not only choosing the right logistics partner but also maintaining clear communication and tracking systems to keep both your business and customers informed every step of the way.

You may be wondering now, what should I look out for and who are the available logistics partners I can choose from? Not to worry, we will be delving into that in this post. 

5 Factors to consider when choosing your logistics partner

Just like individuals having different needs, every business will have unique requirements when it comes to logistics. While cost is obviously a main factor, here are some factors you should consider, depending on the needs of your online business. 

1. Reputation & Track Record

Needless to say, when you are choosing your logistics partner, it is important to look into their reputation. You should look out for positive reviews, testimonials and longevity when determining if a logistics partner has a good reputation. 

If you were to engage one with a bad reputation, your company’s reputation may stand to be affected by the lack of competence which will in turn drive existing and potential customers away. 

2. Area of Expertise

Most logistics companies have expertise in certain types of logistics, from industry to area of delivery. There are different skill sets and understanding required when transporting different types of goods. For example, when delivering food, you will require the package to be handled delicately as compared to delivering of apparels where the deliverymen might treat the package a little too roughly.

3. Geographic Focus

You will also need to take note of the geographic focus of your potential logistics company. International and regional deliveries have very different processes. If you’re looking to have items delivered worldwide, you will need a company that is familiar with the process of worldwide delivery to ensure a smooth transaction. Hence, it is important to look out for what their area of expertise is to ensure it is in line with your company needs.

4. Customer Service & Response Time

Imagine this, your customer has feedback that their item is said to be “delivered” but they have yet to receive the item. In such an instance, what you want is a company that provides 24/7 customer service so you can immediately contact them to rectify the situation and update your customer. 

A strong and responsive customer service is what you should look out for, and you can actively observe this by checking how responsive they are to communication and how they deal with problems. 

5. Security and Technology

It is vital you understand and know how the logistics company will ensure the safe delivery of your items from the moment it leaves your facility till it reaches your customer. A trusted and reliable logistics company should have integrated IT systems for warehouse and transport management for easy and efficient tracking and managing of your items.  

6 Top logistics companies in Singapore

Now that we have covered the importance of a logistics partner and the factors to look out for, here are 6 logistics partners that you may wish to consider. 

1. Pickupp

Trusted by more than 50,000 users in Singapore, Pickupp is a technology-enabled logistics provider that offers tailored delivery solutions and special rates that will meet your business delivery needs. With a good reputation and expertise in E-commerce, Food & Beverage and Retail & Luxury industry, Pickupp is definitely one to consider if you are of the mentioned industries. 

Pickupp also offers a wide-range of services, namely, express delivery, 4-hour delivery, same day delivery, next day delivery and 1-3 days delivery. The fast delivery time allows for your customers to receive their purchased items as soon as 2 hours from the time of purchase and latest within 3 days. Being able to receive items fast is what customers want these days and you can trust Pickupp to deliver the items fast. 

Of course, being fast is not the only criteria, we want the items to be delivered safely too. Besides delivery training provided for the delivery agents, all delivery agents are also required to pass stringent background checks and provide identity documents. Your delivery parcels are also insured for up to SGD$200 per order. Your parcels are also trackable 24/7 with customer service available 24/7 to attend to your queries. 

With Pickupp boasting a strong reputation, integrated technology systems, good customer service and fast and safe delivery, Pickupp is one of the logistics partners we highly recommend.  

2. Ninja Van

Looking for a logistics partner that is fast and can deliver both locally and across Southeast Asia? You may wish to consider Ninja Van. Founded in 2014, Ninja Van is one of the leading tech-enabled logistics companies with well-established operations across Southeast Asia.

With established operations in 6 of the region’s key markets – Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines, Ninja Van has provided deliveries to close to 110 million customers and is trusted by more than 1.5 million shippers across Southeast Asia. Ninja Van definitely checks off the reputation check box. 

Whether you’re a big e-commerce platform, a start-up or a casual seller, Ninja Van provides delivery services with different features to match your business needs. From door-to-door delivery, to flexible parcel pick up and drop off, to international courier, a wide range of services is provided for you to choose from to match your needs. 

Ninja Van is also powered by industry-leading technology. Some of the technology integrations they have include API integrations, which allows for seamless interaction between data, applications and devices, bulk upload of orders via CSV, customised routing solutions and a complete logistics management system that is tailored to your business needs. These technological integrations allow and ensure a smooth and seamless delivery.

Last but not the least, Ninja Van has a strong customer service to support both your business and customer’s queries. Not only is Ninja Van’s customer service extremely responsive, they also provide customers with choice of free redelivery attempts, one-click delivery rescheduling and self-collection services which helps to ensure your customers’ satisfaction. 

The wide range of services, strong customer service support and impeccable technological integrations makes Ninja Van a strong contender for your choice of logistics partner. 

3. Easy Parcel

If you are feeling lost and just want a solution to provide almost everything, Easyparcel is here to save the day. Easyparcel is a web-based shipping platform that provides delivery service bookings with just a few clicks. Established in 2014, Easyparcel also operates in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. 

Easyparcel pride themselves in providing each customer with care and impeccable service no matter big or small. With their myriad of partners and over 50,000 customers in Singapore alone, they are capable of catering to your logistics needs both locally and internationally. 

Unlike other direct couriers out there, Easyparcel does not do delivery on their own. Instead, they have a generous list of courier partners for you to choose from. You can easily compare and book your ideal courier at the best rates – something like a delivery courier cheat sheet.

Easyparcel also comes with ecommerce integration. Allowing you to directly connect your ecommerce store with them to automatically push orders to them instead of having to manually create orders unlike some other logistics partners out there. In addition, they also make it easy to ship bulk orders simply by uploading your excel file and turning it into an airway bill in just minutes.

With their large arsenal of tools, Easyparcel has you covered. From basic delivery insurance, SMS notifications, API integrations to even marketing tools, you can easily solve your logistics nightmares with their user friendly online booking system.

We highly recommend Easyparcel especially if you are planning to ship internationally. If you have a savvy IT team to support you, it is possible to create a seamless supply chain that is suited to your unique needs.  

4. UrbanFox

Once known as Courex in 2009, UrbanFox started out as a courier service company but have evolved over the years to be experts in end-to-end urban logistics.

UrbanFox offers a wide variety of services for your logistics needs. From channel management, product and price management, inventory management, last mile delivery and even cold chain capabilities. With their cold chain capabilities, they are well equipped to handle even temperature sensitive fast moving consumer goods. A truly robust logistics partner suitable to all of your needs.

Just like any modern day logistics partner, UrbanFox has a simple one click integration with popular marketplaces such as Lazada, Shopee, Qoo10 and Zalora. Perfect for those looking for a quick and easy setup. 

They even have warehouse facilities and management systems you can use to store your goods so that you can have a real time inventory count and to manage your orders for you. With these systems, you do not need to worry about looking for a warehouse to store your goods and other in-house logistical nightmares that may arise.

With a wide variety of services and facilities under their belt, you can automate deliveries made from marketplaces that support their integration. If you are looking for a solution that covers the entire supply chain, UrbanFox is a very strong contender that you should consider.

5. Singapore Post

Perhaps the most well known logistics partner in Singapore. Singapore Post has been around since the dawn of time. They have decades of experience in dealing with logistics and are not to be taken lightly amid the boom of logistics solution providers in recent years.

Starting from the basics of paper mail delivery and parcel delivery, they have been upgrading themselves to adapt to this current digital era and have evolved to providing ecommerce solutions.

Singapore Post is able to setup an order management system with the ability to let you manage your ecommerce business in selected regions. Imagine the convenience of managing your orders regionally at the comfort of your own office or home. 

They also have omnichannel solutions which integrate the point of sales systems in physical shops together with your online store. This means that you do not need to manually do your monthly bookkeeping, decreasing the risk of a bookkeeping mistake. With their order management system, they are able to fulfil your orders with their regional delivery capabilities.

In addition to their order management system, you can be sure that they also have extremely capable infrastructure at their disposal. With their decades of experience, they are able to easily provide warehouse solutions for your needs. In addition to their competency, they also offer very economical rates for their deliveries.

If you are looking for a logistics partner with a solid track record, Singapore Post is a choice you should consider. With their wealth of logistics management knowledge along with the many tools and infrastructure at their disposal, you can be sure you will be in good hands.

6. Lalamove

Trusted by Pastamania, WhyQ, SATS and Crate & Barrel, LalaMove is another logistics partner you may wish to consider. With an average of 5,900 clients served per month and 55,000 drivers ready for activation islandwide, Lalamove has a proven track record of safe and fast delivery. 

Whether you are a small business or a big corporation, Lalamove aims to empower businesses of all sizes in Singapore with fast and convenient delivery. When you register with Lalamove, you will be assigned to an account manager. 

This dedicated account manager will help provide and recommend services that are tailored to your business needs, helping you to ensure the best courier options at the best rate. In addition, this dedicated account manager will be responsible for responding to all your queries. 

So say goodbye to the days of having to update different customer service officers on your queries because now you have a dedicated account manager to help you through all your business queries.

Lalamove also boasts a wide variety of delivery vehicles for you to choose from. Have a small parcel to deliver? Perhaps, a motorcycle will suffice. Have multiple large food orders to be delivered? Refrigerated lorries with a multi-stop delivery service will be available for you to choose from too. You can also trust Lalamove to safely deliver your packages. With an e-signature feature, you can get instant updates with proof of delivery. 

Just like many of the logistics partners mentioned above, Lalamove offers integration with e-commerce platforms Shopify and WooCommerce. This API integrations include features such as, order placement from your backend system to Lalamove, order cancellation, instant quotation, real-time driver location retrieval and proof of delivery to name a few. This API integration will definitely help you run your operations more seamlessly. 

Lalamove certainly ticks off our reputation, customer service, security and technology checkbox! 

Conclusion

The delivery process is arguably one of the most important factors that can affect your customers’ satisfaction and retention. An unpleasant delivery experience may deter your customer from purchasing from you again. 

On the flip side, a pleasant experience could encourage repeat purchases and increase your brand reputation and hence why choosing your logistics partner should be done with much thought and consideration. Don’t let cost be the main deterrence when selecting your logistics partner, afterall, you get what you pay for. 

If you are still unsure which logistics partner is best suited for you, do contact us and we will help you access which logistics partner best suits your needs. Web Imp is a Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) approved vendor for ecommerce. We can build your ecommerce website with 80% grant support along with advising which logistics partners are most suitable for you and integrate it into your ecommerce store.