To reduce your inbounding costs and increase your fast tag coverage, Deliverr developed the shipment forwarding program.
How does shipment forwarding work?
When you send products to Deliverr, you create a shipping plan in the Deliverr Seller Portal. Shipping plans are comprised of 4 or more shipments, with each shipment designated to go to a specific Deliverr fulfillment center. You have two options for sending your shipment into the Deliverr network:
You ship each shipment directly to its designated fulfillment center. This is called a Direct Plan.
You ship all shipments to a Deliverr cross-dock. Then, the Deliverr cross-dock "forwards" each shipment its designated fulfillment center, at no cost to you (but for a limited time!). This is called a Forwarding Plan.
How does shipment forwarding lower my inbounds costs and increase my fast tag coverage?
Depending on where you are located, shipment forwarding can reduce your inbounding costs by up to 65% per pallet over direct inbounds to Deliverr fulfillment centers. Why?
- If you inbound via freight, then you may consolidate all boxes onto as few pallets as possible. Yes, this means boxes from different shipments can be on the same pallet(s)! Note: each box must still have its correct box contents label so that Deliverr cross-dock staff can sort boxes by their final destination fulfillment center.
- If you are shipping freight or shipping small parcel, shipment forwarding also saves you costs because you don't have to pay to ship across multiple zones. Your only cost is shipping to the Deliverr cross-dock, either located in Moreno Valley, CA or Duluth, GA. For a limited time, Deliverr pays the costs of shipping each of your shipments to its final destination fulfillment center.
Additionally, shipment forwarding also increases your fast tag coverage because Deliverr will split your shipments at a box level and forward your boxes to more fulfillment centers.* As a result, your products end up in more Deliverr fulfillment centers, which increases your overall fast tag coverage.
*Fast tag coverage is the percentage of buyers who will see fast delivery badges on your product listings after you've enabled any of Deliverr's fast tag programs, such as Walmart 2-Day, Shopify 2-Day, etc.
How do I use shipment forwarding?
When you create an inbound, after inputting your ship-from address, you will the screen below, which asks you 'When do you want inventory available for sale?' You must select 'Forwarding Plan' and you will create a shipment forwarding plan!
Please be aware that since you are shipping to an intermediate location, shipment forwarding takes longer to complete than shipping directly to fulfillment centers. On average 3-4 weeks.
Will I still create 4 shipments even though I'm shipping to 1 location?
Yes, while you are shipping all shipments to 1 location, you will complete 4 shipments to the cross-dock. We know this counterintuitive, so we are developing a single shipment experience that we hope to launch in October.
If I'm inbounding via freight, can I mix boxes from different shipments onto fewer pallets to save costs?
Yes, you may consolidate boxes from different shipments onto as few pallets as possible. Again, each box must have its correct box contents label because Deliverr cross-dock associates will break each pallet apart, scan each box, group each box by its designated fulfillment center, and construct new pallets.
How does shipment forwarding increase my fast tag coverage?
Shipment forwarding increases your fast tag coverage because during the box check-in process at the cross-dock, Deliverr reevaluates the ideal final destination fulfillment center for every single one of your boxes. As a result, Deliverr's algorithms often find that we increase your fast tag coverage (and orders!) by forwarding your boxes to more fulfillment centers.
How long will it take for my inventory to be available for sale?
Starting when a shipment arrives at the Deliverr cross-dock location, it will take 18-21 business days for that shipment and the entire shipping plan to become available for sale.
What if I need my shipments received faster than 18-21 business days?
If your priority is speed, then select the Direct Plan, and Deliverr will generate a ship-to-4-locations shipping plan.