What Does 2nd Day Shipping Mean?

If you're like most online shoppers, you want your items as soon as possible. That's why 2-day shipping is so popular. But what is 2-day shipping, and how does it work? Here's everything you need to know.

As customer shipping expectations are growing daily, the eCommerce business must focus on 2-day shipping as the business strategy. Let's start with understanding - what is second-day shipping?

What Is 2-Day Shipping?

The 2-day shipping means that when your business provides 2-day shipping, you have to deliver 2-day order shipping for the customer purchases. These days, many eCommerce businesses are keeping 2 days shipping for their customers as a strategy because they have understood that online consumers are impatient and always searching for advanced features. 

How Does 2-Day Shipping Work?

Many of you may be worried about how two-day shipping work. Here is the best answer for you. The 2-day shipping can be either two full days or two business days, based on the seller's interest. Additionally, the period can start counting from the checkout time or the order cutoff time. Many famous companies are providing an order cutoff time model and using two business days to provide a better experience to the users. 

For instance, if the buyer or consumer places an order for the product after the cutoff time of Friday, then the consumer can expect to get the product before or on Tuesday because Sunday and Saturday are not business days. Some companies or businesses start counting the shipping of the ordered product from the packing day; they do not mind whether it's a business day or a holiday. 

It does not matter what model they use for their business, but 2nd-day Delivery is coordinated between 2 shipping methods, such as ground shipping and air shipping. Ground shipping typically uses cars, vans, or trucks to move the ordered products or items from the warehouse or the fulfillment center to the customer's doorstep. On the other hand, the air shipping method uses a jet or an airplane to transport packages to deliver the product from the fulfillment center or warehouse to the customer.

What Are The Advantages Of 2nd Day Shipping?

The two-day shipping offers many benefits to an eCommerce website, as elaborated below.

Meet Customer Expectations

The ever-changing fast shipping for online orders has been observed among businesses because of consumers' rising demand for immediate shipping. It has been identified that a consumer can wait for 2-day transit times or shipping that is not considered too long in their eyes. An eCommerce business can likely lead to better recommendations and customer reviews.

Keep Customers Coming Back

Customers who are satisfied with your service by getting fast Delivery and lower shipping costs may like to purchase your product again and again. Thus, you need to focus on customer retention as your marketing strategy by promoting shipping offerings and encouraging repeat purchases.

Reduce Cart Abandonment

It has been identified that the slow delivery speeds and high shipping costs are the main reasons behind the abandoned carts. When customers check out different options displayed on the business website to meet their needs, including the fastest and cheapest options, they consider visiting your website again and again. Likely, you can prevent customers from abandoning their carts by offering low-cost delivery options that can grow your business and increase your conversion rate. 

Related: How Long Does Expedited Shipping Take?

How much is 2-day shipping?

Let's understand how long 2-day shipping is. Several factors make the cost of 2-day shipping differ. It includes:

  • Destination zip code
  • Carrier and service used
  • Peak period
  • Point of origin zip code
  • Shipping time and date
  • Dimensional package and weight characteristics
  • Type of shipping products 

The 2-day shipping may vary as the sellers charge customers differently. Now, you must have the answer for how much next next-day is. Let's move to understand how you can reduce the shipping cost.

How to Reduce 2nd-Day Shipping Costs?

Much research shows that the high shipping cost is one of the reasons cart abandonment is observed. Thus, it becomes essential for the e-commerce business to focus on shipping cost reduction. Here are some important tips that can help to reduce the shipping cost. 

  • You can ship from urban fulfillment centers and use ground shipping.
  • Try to get discounted shipping rates by working with an outsourced fulfillment partner.
  • Provide a minimum order value by offering 2-day Delivery.
  • Offer 2-day Delivery of the product for specific zip codes.

Related: Overnight Shipping: How Does Next Day Shipping Work

Best Shipping Options for Small Businesses

While looking for the best shipping options for your business, you must consider options that balance costs and capacity. You can offer 2-day shipping options in different ways through outsourcing parts of your fulfillment process, in-house fulfillment, or using Delivery.

Overall, you can offer fast shipping options to your customers by picking the best fulfillment shipping options. 

Recommended: What is UPS 3-Day Select?