The number of online stores is growing steadily every year. Why do people increasingly prefer shopping online? Firstly, in most cases, goods in online stores are cheaper than similar ones in regular stores. Secondly, shopping online is a significant saving of time and effort. The only negative is that you cannot view and touch the product online before purchasing. But apparently, for few people this minus is a significant drawback.

According to statistics, about 30% of the working population in Russia are regular online shoppers. And in other CIS countries this figure is approximately the same. Nowadays you can buy almost anything on the Internet. But the most purchased product categories, as before, are Appliances, small electronics, clothing, shoes, accessories, sports, home and leisure products.

The process of delivering goods from an online store to the buyer

1. The client makes an order.

Anyone who has ever ordered goods from online stores knows that this is quite easy to do. Just a couple of clicks and you already see the message “order received.” What happens after this?

2. The application goes to the store managers.

The online store database receives information about the order: the buyer’s name, product name, desired delivery option and other data that the buyer would prefer to indicate in his application. After this, the store manager sends an order confirmation email to email the client, and then calls him back for final confirmation of the order. After this, the manager forms a request to complete the order and deliver it to the client. Some online stores (usually small ones) carry out packaging and delivery themselves; large stores transfer these responsibilities to outsourcing logistics companies.

3. The order is completed at the warehouse.

Warehouse employees receive a request to complete the order. They check that the product is not defective or damaged. They select suitable packaging for it - these can be cardboard boxes of different sizes, plastic bags. Easily breakable goods are additionally packaged in protective film (the well-known bags with “pimples”). When the shipment is fully packaged, shipping documentation is drawn up. Labels or stickers are attached to the outside of the package, which contain information about the product, sender and recipient.

A small digression. It is at this stage that mistakes are often made, as a result of which the client receives something completely different from what he ordered. And such cases are not uncommon. If a customer ordered, for example, a soccer ball, and instead they brought him a mini body massager, he is unlikely to say “well, I’ll play football with the massager.” The customer, of course, will call the store and demand that they deliver to him what he originally ordered. And the online store will carry out repeated delivery at its own expense. Why do such unpleasant situations arise? The manager who compiled the order for the kit could have made a mistake. As a rule, all products in online stores are coded, and the slightest typo in one letter or number can mean a completely different product. A mistake could have been made at the warehouse, by packing in the shipment the wrong item that was listed in the documentation.

Sometimes it is very difficult to find the culprits in such situations. And it also happens that, according to all the documents, the “correct” product was sent to the client, but he received a completely different one. It is unknown where the sent product went and at what stage it was replaced with another product. In any case, the online store will need to incur some losses and still deliver to the buyer the goods he ordered. And in order not to lose your reputation in the eyes of the client, you also need to provide him with a small gift as an apology for the inconvenience caused. Usually this is either a discount on subsequent purchases, or some small item from the store’s assortment.

4. The goods are sent on their way.

The packaged goods are transferred to transport or postal company. There it can be additionally packaged if there is such a need (for example, if the product is not sufficiently protected from possible damage during transportation). Are being issued Required documents and the goods are finally sent to the customer.

The choice of the type of transport on which the order will be delivered depends on how quickly it reaches the recipient and how much money will be spent on the transportation process. Of course, it is important for an online store that all goods are delivered to customers as quickly as possible, but it is equally important to save on transportation costs. It all depends on the territory within which the online store operates. If goods need to be transported over a distance of no more than 500 kilometers, then cars are usually used, if more than 500 kilometers, then trains or planes.

5. The goods arrive at the post office.

The goods are delivered to the post office in the customer’s locality, after which he receives a delivery notification. The client can only pick up the goods. Some online stores prefer to take full prepayment for the goods and only then ship them. Others take only part of the advance payment, or do not take it at all. In the first case, the store does not risk that the customer changes his mind about buying the product when it has already arrived in the customer’s locality and is at the post office. But in other cases, such situations often arise. We often make purchases on the Internet under the influence of emotional impulses, and after a day or two we realize that in principle we do not need this product. And then the order remains in the post office until the maximum waiting period has passed and it is sent back to the warehouse of the online store.

The issue of payment for delivery, as a rule, remains with the transport or logistics company that organizes the transportation. Most often, the delivery amount depends on the size of the goods and the distance to which it needs to be transported. Large online stores may have their own courier service. Some charge a fixed amount for delivery, while others also calculate it based on the size of the product and the distance.

If the client wants to deliver the order directly to his home, local delivery services are included in the work. If the store is small, it is unlikely that it will have its own courier service in each city.

How to return goods back to the store

Nowadays, most online stores provide customers with the opportunity to return purchased goods if they do not fit or have any defects. The customer can return the product and receive his money back for the purchase. But delivery in such cases is most often paid for by the client himself. If the buyer simply did not come to buy the goods from the post office, then for the online store each such situation entails significant costs. The goods must be sent back to the store, while paying the transport company for the services. At the warehouse, it needs to be unpacked and this item must be entered into the warehouse documentation again.

Depending on the specifics of the product, sometimes an assessment is required regarding its suitability for further use, because during long transportation the product can be significantly damaged or lose some of its important properties. And the costs of such assessments again fall on the shoulders of the online store.

The problem of returning goods is one of the most acute for most online stores. To reduce the rate of returns, you need to constantly improve the quality of your work at all stages - from negotiations with the client to organizing delivery of goods to your home. Of course, the quality of the product itself also plays a huge role, because you cannot touch the product through a monitor or try it in action. According to one of the logical companies that transports goods from online stores - “Idea Logic” - a decrease in the number of returns by only 3-5% will entail an increase in profits by as much as 20-30%. and allow for as few returns as possible!

Having dealt with the packaging, you need to transfer the parcel to Russian Post. After which, the goods will be sent to the post office at the address you specified. When the package reaches its destination, the client will come to the post office (a notification will be sent to him) to pick it up and pay for it.

The money will be transferred to you accordingly. This algorithm of work is described for those who are going to send parcels by cash on delivery. And as we know, this method is the most reliable.

Important! Along with the parcel, an invoice (or delivery and acceptance certificate) and a document containing information about the product itself and the procedure for its return must be submitted.

Pickup

For the buyer, this option will be convenient only if there are several pickup points. Because Not everyone wants to travel far. Pickup is usually always an additional option for delivering the package to the customer. In addition, if the pickup point(s) is limited to one city, and you are sending goods throughout Russia, then the store must indicate that this option is only available for a certain city.

Self delivery

If you start operating in your city, then there is this option: deliver the parcels yourself. Of course, it’s not as prestigious as we would like, but still, it’s also a way.

Own couriers

The most prestigious, reliable, and effective method– develop your courier network. The only and very significant drawback is that it will take a lot of money. On the contrary, the advantages a large number of:
You can fully control the work of couriers.
The couriers themselves are interested in working “conscientiously”, because... their wages depend on it.
Well-coordinated work of couriers, delivery on time.

Outsourcing companies (couriers)

Although the previous option is the best solution, due to high costs, not all online stores can afford it, especially in the initial stages. In such situations, there is an alternative for those who do not want to hire couriers and use postal services, but still need to deliver the goods somehow. Outsourcing companies provide courier delivery services. In order not to beat around the bush, I will give clear examples of such companies:

Attention! I do not encourage working with the companies mentioned below. This information is provided for informational purposes only. The final decision is yours.

Rhythm-Z

The company provides a wide variety of services that will be useful to online stores. Important point: The company can provide courier services only for Moscow and St. Petersburg. For other cities, a service has been implemented to deliver parcels to pick-up points, where the client can pick up his order.

Allobegy

The company positions itself as a service for online stores, including courier delivery services. "Hello? I’m running!” has been operating for quite a decent amount of time: more than 6 years. As with the above company, delivery is possible by Russian Post, to pick-up points, and to parcel terminals.

Important! When deciding on an outsourcing company, find out all the details of the work before concluding a contract. It is extremely important to compare the internal processes of your store with the capabilities of outsourcing companies: it is necessary that the delivery methods and terms coincide with the type and dimensions of your product, i.e. there were no discrepancies, otherwise this would affect the quality and delivery time of the parcel.

Parcel terminals

A parcel locker (or parcel locker) is a parcel delivery terminal. This type of service appeared relatively recently, but has established itself as an inexpensive delivery method. True, in addition to the fact that the client will have to pick up his parcel himself, its dimensions are limited by the size of the cell. The method is suitable for sending small goods.
What is it, we figured it out, it remains open main question: how to send a parcel to a parcel terminal? To use this service, the highest priority services for sending goods through parcel machines are “InPost” and “PickPoint”.

Conclusion

Well, the main sending methods have, in general, been sorted out. I remind you that in order to conduct legal activities, despite the fact that this is an online store, you must register an individual entrepreneur. That's all, don't forget about likes and reposts of this article via social media. networks. This will help the development of the project.

* The calculations use average data for Russia

Starting investments:

Revenue:

Net profit:

Payback period:

A courier service is a business without major investments and requirements, so anyone can start it. The advantages of this area: high demand for services, a wide range of clients and profitability of up to 90%.

Delivery service is a business that is suitable for both experienced and novice entrepreneurs. In Russia, the industry began to actively develop in the 90s and today is one of the most promising areas in the service sector. The idea is attractive because it does not require large investments and at the same time guarantees a fairly high profit. You can start with a minimum set of resources and gradually develop your business. Moreover, with the growth of online commerce, delivery services are more relevant than ever. That's why opening a courier service is an excellent solution for an entrepreneur.

But this business, like any other, has its own nuances and pitfalls. Before throwing all your energy and money into opening a business, you need to study the main aspects of this type of activity.

Analysis of the scope of activity

Relevance. According to the research agency Data Insight, online commerce is growing at least 25% annually, even despite the crisis. At the same time, most online stores use outside delivery services to save money. Result: the number of orders is increasing, and with them the demand for courier services. So now the business is relevant and will feel good as long as online commerce develops, because more than 90% of all orders from delivery services are delivered by online stores.

Advantages and disadvantages. Assessing the pros and cons of a business allows you to make a decision about starting your own business and foresee what difficulties you need to be prepared for.

Advantages and disadvantages of courier service

Competition. The attractiveness of the business naturally led to many people entering the courier services market. Today on Russian market We offer a wide range of courier services. The share of international leading companies is about 30%. New businesses cannot compete with them. Therefore, real competition for you will come from companies operating within the same city or region. Business conditions are difficult: price dumping, market oversaturation and competition for customers, especially for large orders.

To stay afloat, courier services are pursuing an active business development strategy and offering customers more and more opportunities and services. Therefore, even at the start, you need to decide on the strategy of your delivery service and pay attention to the following parameters:

Business territory.

Specifics of the cargo.

Delivery method.

This is the initial data with which you will start working. They characterize your organization and determine its place in the market.

Delivery services

Types of services. The courier service provides the population with services for the prompt delivery of letters, documents, small and large cargo for a fee. Depending on the scale of activity, the courier service can deliver between countries, between cities and regions, within the same city. Another important criterion: the specifics of the cargo. Conventionally, the work of courier services is divided into the delivery of correspondence and cargo. In practice, most players specialize in both areas.

The types of services provided by the courier service may be different. Delivery of goods from online stores is most in demand. Most often this is small-sized cargo.

What options do courier services offer their clients:

pre order;

urgent order (within 24 hours);

courier rental;

shipment insurance;

order at night - delivery of goods from 22:00 to 7:00;

lifting the load to the floor.

Business territory. At the initial stage of work, it is better to focus on working within one city. Get a good reputation, gain experience - and then gradually develop. To get a good start, you will need to find 2-3 large clients with whom you will cooperate on an ongoing basis. By completing these orders efficiently, you can count on a stable profit and invest it in further development.

Cargo specifics. Decide right away what loads you will work with. Because the organization of all activities depends on this. Will help you with making a decision comparison table, where the characteristics are given different types cargo

Comparison of areas of courier service work

	Correspondence	Small cargo	Small cargo
	Not required	Required	Required
Car park	Not required	Required	Required
Loading and unloading equipment	Not required	Not required	Required
Material liability		Low/high
Security and alarm costs	Minimum	Minimum	Depends on the size and workload of the warehouse

An ideal option for a beginner in this business: city delivery of correspondence and small cargo. It will be much cheaper and easier. The specifics of delivering large-sized cargo have its own difficulties, which will not only “eat up” part of your budget, but will also require certain experience, skills and responsibility. In the future, of course, it makes sense to add cargo delivery to our services and expand the geography of our activities.

Ready ideas for your business

Method and type of delivery. Also choose in advance what type of delivery you want to do. Limit your target audience and develop a compelling offer for your potential clients.

The cargo service industry offers many options: goods from online stores, delivery of flowers, gifts or food, important documents, etc. You can combine several directions.

To decide, study the demand in your city. What is missing in the courier services market? Which niche is free? What can be improved in this area? What problems do your future clients face? When you answer all these questions, you will be able to choose a promising direction.

Every day, many companies and people use courier services. Your potential clients are:

online stores;

cafes and restaurants;

flower shops.

Today, almost all online stores cooperate with courier services and use their outsourcing services. Moreover, many prefer to enter into contracts with local small firms.

Another large segment is cafes and restaurants. Almost all catering establishments provide delivery services to their customers. And this is also done by a third-party courier service.

Separately, it is worth mentioning flower shops. Many of them trade through social media and offer delivery services. But it is not profitable for them to have their own courier on staff, so they resort to outsourcing.

Almost all large companies need couriers to deliver various documents. In addition, there is such a service as “courier rental” - i.e. the employee can not only deliver documents, but also carry out additional instructions. For example, stand in line at tax office and hand over/pick up documents. Thanks to this service, the client saves time, and you receive additional profit.

Ready ideas for your business

So the circle of potential clients of the delivery service includes an unlimited number of private and legal entities. Courier services are in demand in all areas of activity.

After you decide what we will deliver and who our client will be. Now we need to figure out how to deliver it. The delivery method depends on the specifics of the order, the territory, and your strategy. Let's take a closer look.

Possible delivery methods

Pedestrian courier. If you work within a small town, you can get by with a pedestrian courier. The method is reminiscent of the classic image of a postman. You can also use bicycles, mopeds, and scooters. It is clear that only correspondence and small parcels can be delivered this way. This may not be a very profitable solution.

Courier with a car. Firstly, the volume of initial investments will increase. You will need to purchase a car or hire a courier with your own vehicle (and this costs extra). Secondly, fuel costs will increase. But you will get quick way delivery, more orders and the ability to deliver large and heavy parcels. In addition, you can use unusual delivery formats. This will allow you to stand out and create competitive advantages.

Velopochta. Fast delivery of documents by small transport (bicycles, scooters, mopeds). It’s cheap, environmentally friendly, and in case of traffic jams, it’s even faster. Also, for example, argues the American express mail UPS, which delivers parcels on bicycles with a trailer. Students can be hired to work. One minus is seasonality. Riding a bicycle in rain or snow is not very convenient. But this delivery method can be made an additional service in warm time of the year.

Congratulatory courier service delivers flowers, Balloons, gifts and other holiday paraphernalia. The services of such an organization are used by people who cannot personally congratulate their loved ones. The courier service does this for them. With proper advertising, the service will become in demand. In this case, an excellent marketing ploy would be bright design courier car, so that it is immediately clear: “this car is bringing a holiday.”

24 hour delivery. Not every courier service provides this service. Therefore, you can occupy a free niche and start with less competition. Delivery at night has many advantages: the tariff for such orders is higher, and they are delivered faster (because there is less traffic and traffic jams). The downside is that you will have to hire additional employees to work shifts.

Delivery of auto parts, construction materials, assistance with moving. There are very few companies that provide such services, but there is demand. The car broke down on the road, it is necessary to transport things or building materials for construction or repair. In all these cases, you will need the service of your courier service. But then you will have to buy cargo transport and hire movers.

As you can see, delivery service is a very variable business. You can combine characteristics in different ways: type of cargo, target audience, delivery method - and look for the “formula” that will be successful for you.

Business registration

We move from theory to practical actions. The first serious step to start is registering a business.

The courier service can operate both as an individual entrepreneur and as an LLC. Most often, small companies prefer to work as an individual entrepreneur - there is less paperwork with it. To register, you must write an application in the prescribed form and attach to it a receipt for payment of the state duty, which is 800 rubles. The following types of activities according to OKVED should be indicated: 64.12 – Courier activities. You can immediately enable additional codes:

52.61.2 - Retail carried out through teleshopping and computer networks (electronic commerce, including the Internet)

63.40 - Organization of cargo transportation

64.11.11 - Activities for reception, processing, transportation and delivery (delivery) postal items

74.82 – Packaging

74.84 - Provision of other services

So, you submit the necessary documents for registering an individual entrepreneur and, within the period specified in the notification, you collect a tax extract from the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs. On the same day, it is recommended to write an application for transition to the selected tax regime. You can choose a simplified tax system of 6% of income or a simplified tax system of 15% of income minus expenses.

Premises and office

The courier service belongs to that category of business where location and office do not play an important role. In this case, you will need a mini-office to receive corporate clients and conclude contracts with them. You can also place a small warehouse there.

The courier service office does not have to be located in the city center. For the client, what is more important is how quickly you can deliver the package and how much it will cost. Therefore, the ideal office space is 20 sq.m. with internet and telephone far from the city center. In the office it is enough to equip one workplace for a manager who will look for clients, communicate with us, distribute tasks between couriers, control the timing and payment of orders. The set of equipment for the office is minimal: computer, MFP, telephone, document rack.

When looking for a suitable office, pay attention to various business centers, where you can find premises already equipped with furniture and all communications. The cost of renting such an office will cost you approximately 10-15 thousand rubles per month. It all depends on the city and the territorial location of the building itself. Also, don’t forget to purchase stationery for your office: paper, pens, paper clips, tape, etc.

Equipment

The main production equipment in this case is a car. Well, of course, unless you decide to open a bike post office. The choice of transport on which orders will be delivered should be approached with special attention.

How to choose a car for a courier

Characteristics. First, let's define the main characteristics that an ideal car for a courier service should have:

low fuel consumption;

low cost of maintenance and repair;

small dimensions of the car: compactness and mobility make it easy to park and move around the city faster.

So the main requirement for a courier’s car is efficiency and mobility. This way you will save money and time.

Models. Based on the listed characteristics, we give examples of popular cars that are most often used for delivery services.

If you give preference to the domestic auto industry, then suitable options are:

• OKA (VAZ 1111).

If you choose among foreign cars, then these are:

German cars (Skoda Fabia, Volkswagen Golf, Opel Corsa,);

Korean (Kia Picanto, Hyundai i20, Daewoo Matiz, Hyundai Getz).

French (Citroen C1, Peugeot 107);

Japanese (Toyota Yaris, Toyota Vitz, Nissan Cube, Nissan March, Honda Fit);

Italian (Fiat Panda).

All of these cars have a small engine capacity - this allows you to save on fuel consumption. average cost car for a courier is 400 thousand rubles. You can save money by buying a used car. But keep in mind that in this case you risk purchasing a car that will break down frequently. And delays in the work of the courier service can lead to serious consequences.

Scheme of the courier service

Before moving on to personnel selection, you need to draw up a detailed diagram of the courier service and describe the functions of each employee. The general scheme of work looks like this:

An order arrives from a client.

The manager accepts the order, negotiates the payment amount with the client, records all the necessary data (full name, contact phone number, order parameters). Next, the manager transfers the task to the courier.

The courier, according to the received assignment, goes to point A to pick up the correspondence/parcel and payment. Then he takes it to point B, where the receiving party signs the acceptance certificate, thereby confirming the fact of receipt.

The courier calls the manager, and he, in turn, notifies the customer that the recipient has received the parcel or envelope.

At the end of the working day, the courier hands over the signed documents and proceeds to the manager.

This scheme is not generally accepted and the only correct one. You can modify it in accordance with the concept of your business.

Courier service staff

An entrepreneur can open a courier business on his own. It is quite possible to combine the functions of a dispatcher, courier and director. At the initial stage, when there are few orders, you can cope alone. This will help save on employee salaries. But then you will still need help. By the way, replacing the entire staff of the courier service is a very useful experience. You will feel the business “from the inside”, understand the work process, learn the nuances and then be able to better navigate the business.

The staff of a courier service usually includes a dispatcher (manager), courier drivers, foot couriers and an accountant. If you plan to deliver large cargo, you will have to hire movers. You can hire students as walking couriers: they are usually paid from 300 rubles a day - the expenses are small, but their work relieves the volume of orders well.

Ready ideas for your business

The main requirement for courier drivers is that they must navigate the city freely. But you can’t rely only on the drivers’ abilities. Be sure to equip courier vehicles with navigators. For a small company, two couriers will be enough. Their salary usually consists of a fixed salary and a percentage of the amount of completed orders. If you want to save money, you can find employees with their own cars. But then you will have to pay them more.

Try to find employees with similar work experience. In the early stages, their experience will help you, especially if you are new to this business.

You can assign the functions of an accountant to yourself. There is nothing complicated in the documentation of an individual entrepreneur to understand and maintain accounting records yourself. There would be desire and time. Because your main function in this matter is management. You must monitor the work of all staff, coordinate their actions, solve emerging problems, look for new clients and promote your business.

Courier service advertising

It's time to ask the question “where to look for clients”? Let's try to figure out where you can meet your potential clients and how to attract their attention.

Participation in tenders. On the Rostender website you will find many offers to conclude a contract for the provision of courier services. Contract amounts vary from several thousand to millions of rubles. It all depends on the capabilities of your courier service. To view suitable options, select the region in which you plan to work, review the terms of current offers, make sure you meet the stated requirements, and submit an application. At the end of the tender, the results will be posted on the website and you may receive this order.

Electronic reference books. If your activities are limited to the territory of one region or city, then you can use electronic directories. Find the phone numbers and e-mails of those companies that are your target audience. Call or send an email proposal for cooperation. Try to make up Commercial offer, reflecting the individual needs of a particular business.

Classifieds sites. Place advertisements about your services on various resources like Avito. There you can study the demand for courier services and respond to an application.

Intermediary sites. You can use third-party portals - for example, You Do. This platform is an intermediary between those who are looking for certain services (including courier services) and those who provide them. Register on the portal as a courier.

Printable advertisement. Use brochures, business cards, flyers. Make flyers describing your services and attractive offer. Agree to place them on stands near cash registers in stores, in organizations, and on bulletin boards.

As you can see, there are many channels for promoting courier services. Use everything at first available methods advertising. Schedule now marketing expenses in order to receive orders from the very first month of work.

Financial issue

When an aspiring entrepreneur seriously thinks about starting his own business, he is interested in two main questions: how much should he spend and how much can he earn? Let's figure it out. The table shows the main items of initial expenses. Based on this, to open a courier service from scratch, you will need at least 260 thousand rubles.

Initial investment to open a courier service

In addition to the initial investment, plan your monthly expenses. The table shows an approximate calculation of fixed costs. In the first months when you work independently, such expenses for wages will not be. However, when drawing up a business plan for a courier service, be sure to include this article.

Fixed costs of the courier service

Having decided on the costs, let's move on to the most enjoyable part of planning: calculating the expected profit. To do this, you need to know how much courier services will cost and the number of orders. The cost of delivery depends on many factors (city, specifics of the cargo, complexity of the route, additional options, delivery time, etc.). Therefore, it is difficult to give any exact numbers. On average, one order for mail delivery will cost 80-100 rubles within the city; delivery of small cargo costs approximately 250 rubles, and a contract concluded with one legal entity. face will already bring 20-30 thousand rubles.

Having a stable flow of orders, a courier service can earn 100-250 thousand rubles per month. Of this amount, you will be left with 50-150 thousand rubles of net profit. Business profitability reaches 90%.

Thus, approximate business profitability indicators will be as follows:

Revenue – 250 thousand rubles per month

Net profit – 150 thousand rubles per month

Profitability – up to 90%

Payback period is 4-5 months.

Risk factors

When drawing up your business plan, be sure to pay attention to the risk component. Consider what risks you may encounter when providing courier services and how you can avoid losses. Any risk is a loss of profit. Therefore, preventive measures should be taken to avoid problems.

What the owner of a courier service needs to pay attention to:

High competition. Earlier we talked about the fact that there are many participants in the courier services market that a beginning entrepreneur may encounter. The problem of competition can be solved at the level of choosing a strategy, if you correctly identify your target audience and create an interesting and profitable offer for it. Once you have become a full-fledged market participant, you can attract customers by providing Additional services at competitive prices, competently advertising their services.

Dependence on weather and transport conditions. The quality of the courier service does not always depend on internal factors. It may be difficult for the courier to deliver the order on time bad weather or traffic jams in the city. It is almost impossible to solve this problem, as well as to insure against it. In addition, in such conditions there is a possibility of damaging the vehicle. For example, sudden ice can lead to an accident. All this will bring you unexpected expenses. The use of various traffic jam detection programs and competent logistics solutions will help reduce the risk.

Personnel problem. The courier delivery business is characterized by high staff turnover. The salary is small career growth often not, the work, although not difficult, is dreary. They often accept students who view courier work as temporary. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that you will often have to look for employees, and this is also a certain cost. If you are interested in employees working in your company for a long time and with dedication, set decent wages, provide good conditions labor, use various ways motivation. Or be prepared to constantly be on the lookout.

Technological risk. Main element your earnings is the vehicle used for delivery. A sudden breakdown can stop all work, which will significantly hit your pocket. To prevent your car from breaking down as a surprise, constantly monitor its condition - and if problems are found, fix them immediately. When choosing a car, give preference to models that are economical to maintain and repair.

Get current calculations for your business plan

Why limit yourself to one city when you can sell and deliver goods to customers countrywide? I don’t know, but for some reason many entrepreneurs deliberately choose to work only in their city. Or they reason like this: I’ll first start developing business in my region, and then I’ll expand to Russia. Why not do it right away? After all, your target audience will increase tens, hundreds, and possibly thousands of times.

If you decide to enter the national market, then, first of all, you will need to answer two questions:

1. How to reach your target audience in other cities?
2. How cheap deliver the goods to the buyer?

Let's assume you know how to answer the first question, so in this article we'll take a closer look at the second.

When does delivering goods across Russia make no sense?

Now logistics in our country is developing very actively. But you need to understand that Russia is a large country, and delivery may cost more than the product itself.

Therefore, unfortunately, it is not advisable to work in every niche for the whole country. Let's see when the game is not worth the candle:

1. Small average check

If the purchase amount usually amounts to several thousand rubles, then it will be unprofitable to deliver the goods: either to you or to the client. Here's the advice: increase the minimum order value for other regions. It's better than nothing.

2. After-sales service required

This is when, after the sale, installation or assembly of the product at the customer’s location is required. For example, you sell children's outdoor complexes that require on-site assembly. You won’t take your team of installers, say, to Sakhalin? And hiring someone on the spot is not that easy.

Conclusion

If you sell at least 5,000 rubles at a time, and your products do not have a regional link, then you should try. To do this, start by calculating your shipping costs.

What determines the transportation costs for delivering goods to the buyer?

The main parameters that affect the cost of delivery are the volume, weight of the goods and the distance of the client. Transportation companies have delivery rates based on the parameters of the cargo and destination. As for the weight and volume of cargo, it is always taken according to the maximum indicator. Typically this is volume unless the item is too heavy.

It is advisable that the value capacity of your product should be as high as possible. Those. the more expensive, smaller and lighter the product, the better. An example of a product with a high value capacity: smartphones (expensive and small), and with a low value – insulation materials (cheap and bulky).

Which delivery companies are right for you?

Courier companies will most likely not be suitable for you because they mainly focus only on large cities and door-to-door delivery. Their branch network is small, and transporting bulk cargo over long distances is very expensive.

Small cargo volume

If your goods are small in weight and volume, you can use EMS express delivery. This is the same Russian post, only fast (well, and more expensive, of course). The main advantage is the most extensive network of branches in the country. Available in every locality.

The site has an online calculator to calculate the approximate cost of delivery.

Medium and large cargo volume

In this case the best option For delivery of goods throughout Russia cheap- These are federal transport companies. I will give examples of companies with which I have worked over the past six years: Business Lines, PEK, RATEK, etc.

The main principle of their work is the transportation of groupage cargo. Those. They collect a lot of cargo in one place (branch), load it into a truck and transport it to another place (branch). The cost of transportation is reduced due to the fact that cargo is transported from many companies at once, “in bulk.”

If you have chosen a transport company, then use its tariffs or an online calculator to calculate the approximate costs of delivery to various cities. Advice: take the cities farthest from you, because... you don’t know in advance where the order will come from. This way you will allow for maximum transportation costs and avoid the risk of being left at a loss.

What if the order comes from a locality where there is no branch of the transport company?

I advised you to work with federal transport companies because they have a fairly developed branch network. As a rule, there is a terminal in every major city.

If there is a branch in the client’s city, then everything is fine - delivery will not be expensive. But it happens that orders come from small towns or villages where there are no transport companies. How to avoid losing a client?

In this case, the following scheme applies:

1. The cargo arrives in the nearest city where there is a branch;
2. The transport company hires a vehicle specifically for your cargo and takes it to the client’s address in the appropriate locality.

The cost of delivery directly depends on the distance between the branch of the transport company and the destination. Often, this is much more expensive than inter-terminal transportation, because The machine is specially tailored to your order.

1. Deliver the order to the city closest to the buyer, in which there is a branch of the transport company, from where he will pick up the order himself;
2. Increase the cost of the order by a certain percentage in order to deliver to the address.

Clients perceive this as normal.

How to deliver goods to a buyer in very remote regions?

By virtue of climatic conditions, Russian cities are located closer to the southern border. If we talk about the eastern part of the country, the network of branches of transport companies ends in Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. But what if you have to deliver cargo to Magadan, Kamchatka or Sakhalin? After all, you can get a very large order from there.

Read about this in a separate article.

Is shipping included in the price of the product?

My opinion is yes, include it. Having tested this model in practice, I was convinced that it was very convenient for the client. Of course, you and I understand that “free” delivery for the client is included in the price of the goods, but, judging by the experience of delivery to 50 cities in Russia, the buyer does not like to delve into the intricacies of transportation costs. Somewhere in the back of his mind there is always a fear that shipping might be very expensive.

If your clients are companies that themselves are well versed in logistics, then you can offer them two options: the price including delivery and without.

Conclusion

If your city is small, like mine is, then running a business there can be a rather unpromising endeavor. Especially if the region has a constant budget deficit and low purchasing power.

Don't limit your business to where you live. The main thing here is to start. When you work via the Internet, then, by and large, it makes no difference to you whether the client is calling you from Moscow or Birobidzhan. The only real inconvenience is the time difference. It needs to be taken into account.

After a while different regions You will perceive the country the way you once perceived the areas of your city. And you will rejoice: how good it is that we live in a country with such a large market!

Hi all! I hope this article will help resolve the issue related to the delivery of goods in your online store to the buyer.

I will only talk about those methods that I use myself and the work of which I know from the inside. Who doesn't know, I'm studying 😉

Delivery by courier in your city

This method is great for beginning entrepreneurs. If you have a client from your city, you can deliver the order to him yourself. The advantages of this method are obvious:

• Fast refund;
• Additional earnings on paid delivery.

Main disadvantage this method, this is a time investment.

I spend course on selling goods from one-page websites minimal investment and one of the students, Vardan, solved this problem simply by hiring his own courier. But here it is important to take into account that the courier is an adequate person and does not disappear with your money.

Delivery by Russian Post

All online stores use this method, since Russian Post has a vast geography, and you can deliver goods for little money to any corner of Russia. And this is its main advantage.

Russian Post is perfect for those who are just starting their first steps in online sales. You don’t need an individual entrepreneur or LLC to work with it; you can work as an individual and receive money for goods at the post office.

In addition, Russian Post has integration with various CRM systems and other services that save time and money. For example, I use RetailCRM, which has integration with Russian Post configured. Thanks to this, I print all the necessary forms for sending a parcel immediately from the CRM, in addition, the order statuses automatically change, thanks to this there is no need to waste time on manually checking orders.

Also a huge plus is the ability to set up SMS alerts and automatic calls that will remind the buyer about his order, which contributes to a good purchase of parcels.

Fig 1 - printing postal forms from CRM:

Fig 2 - Automatic change of statuses in CRM, in accordance with the status of the track in the mail:

Fig 3 - Automatically updating track status in CRM:

But Russian Post also has its disadvantages:

• Long delivery.
• Buyers from large cities do not like to order by mail, but prefer courier delivery or delivery to a pickup point.
• There is a possibility that either the order or money from the buyer may be lost along the way. You can write a search request and the amount of declared value will be returned to you after 60 days if they do not find where your order or postal order is.
• And most importantly, there are long queues. It takes a lot of time to send an order, and for the buyer to receive it. I advise that before you start sending orders on a regular basis, ask the postal operators at what hours they have the least number of visitors. At my post office this time is from 15 to 17 hours.

Courier service SDEK

I have been working with this courier service for about 1.5 years and have already formed my opinion about their work. This company has an extensive network of pick-up points and courier delivery in almost all of them. major cities RF.

The cost of delivery is low; in the European part of the Russian Federation, the cost of courier delivery is on average 350 rubles, pick-up points are around 250 rubles. SDEK also has integration with various services, which allows you to create invoices for sending in a matter of seconds directly from the CRM system. To work with SDEK, you must have an individual entrepreneur (with a current account) or an LLC.

What I managed to note for myself while working with them.

• Their courier service is disgusting Express delivery in Moscow. They miss deadlines after agreeing on the delivery time with the buyer and do not warn him about this, and the couriers can even be rude. For this reason, I no longer send orders to Moscow using this courier service.
• Delivery to the regions is good, almost always on time. The redeemability of parcels is at an acceptable level.
• It is possible to send several products to choose from. Very cool thing, when trading goods with sizes.
• The werewolf is frozen. You will receive your money only in 10-15 days from the moment the buyer pays for the order. Therefore, you need to have a reserve of funds, especially at the very beginning. Then it will go into the flow, and it won’t feel that way anymore.
• Sometimes their telephony is slow, and as a result they don’t get through to the client. You need to call yourself and schedule delivery.
• Very long technical support. The phone is constantly busy, and online chat on the site can be silent for an hour or more.

Examples of order costs and terms from Yekaterinburg to Moscow, weighing 0.5 kg, were given on the screen:

Example of integration with RetailCRM:

By the way, at the end of 2016, TC SDEK awarded me a silver partner diploma:

Courier service AXIOMUS

What can I say, a very cool company. During my work, I do not have a single complaint about them. This is undoubtedly the leader on this list. Delivery by courier in Moscow and Moscow Region on the next working day, in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region after 1 working day. Axiomus has many pick-up points, which allows you to deliver your order very cheaply. Many customers want to pick up their order this way. I have been working with them since December 2016, I have sent more than two hundred parcels across Moscow and St. Petersburg, and I have not found a single disadvantage, so I will list the advantages:

• Integration with RetailCRM and 1C, which makes it easier for managers when placing an order.
• Excellent support, you get an answer to your question within 10-15 minutes.
• Cooperates with other delivery services, such as TopDelevery, BoxBerry, DPD, STRIZH, Russian Post. This allows you to send goods throughout Russia, and not have to go to the post office yourself.
• Couriers can accept payments by card, which undoubtedly increases the prestige of the store in the eyes of the buyer.
• There is courier delivery to Moscow Region and Leningrad Region.
• Polite couriers who always call the client before leaving.
• They do not miss deadlines, all orders were delivered exactly at the agreed time.
• Convenient personal account.
• Fast refund of cash on delivery payments. They transfer money once a week. Let's say orders were delivered from Wednesday to Monday, you will receive money for these orders on Wednesday. This is very cool, it allows you to significantly increase the turnover of funds, and as a result, profit.
• Only individual entrepreneurs or LLCs can work with Axiomus.
• You can collect cash on delivery payments in cash.

An example of Axiomus's personal account:

That's all. I told you about what delivery methods I use.

IN your course I talk in detail about working with delivery and service integration.

I hope the information was useful to you. Ask your questions in the comments, I will definitely answer them.