home Secrets of medicine What delivery methods are available in the online store? Four ways to organize delivery for an online store.

What delivery methods are available in the online store? Four ways to organize delivery for an online store.

Some 5-7 years ago this issue did not cause so many difficulties - there were few ways to deliver goods from online stores - the constant Russian Post, a couple of transport companies and courier services. Now on Russian market there are more than a hundred companies that transport everything from postcards to cars. They promise to deliver the goods to the client even on December 31st in the evening. It can be difficult to figure out which of them delivers goods and which causes trouble for business. This article will help you.

There are only four main types for organizing delivery in an online store in Russia. This:

Delivery by Russian Post

Due to the speed of delivery, Russian Post is called the “turtle”, but its logo is still present in many online stores. Because it has low prices and delivers parcels even to villages with a population of 200 people, which means it remains the most popular method of delivering goods across Russia.

The disadvantage of this method is speed, but even here technology does not stand still - postal employees do a lot of things to automate processes and serve customers faster.

In June 2016, Russian Post developed a special service for delivery from online stores - https://otpravka.pochta.ru. For now, the service only works in Moscow. It allows:

Automate the preparation of documents for parcels.

Using your API (program code), integrate services into your website.

On the website, show the buyer the current cost of postal delivery from the online store.

To start using the service, you need to register on the website and submit an application. After verification, the service will be connected to your store. You won't need to fill out stacks of shipping documents at the post office. All that is necessary is to print out the completed form, stick it on the parcel and take it to the department. In addition, the site has a function to call a courier online, so you don’t have to leave the office at all and stay on task.

Pickup delivery

The good thing about the self-pickup delivery method is that the buyer does not have to wait for couriers, who often arrive at a different time than agreed upon.

There are two ways to arrange pick-up delivery:

Issue goods at your warehouse or office;

Use the pick-up point of one of the delivery services or TC ( transport company). The cost of one parcel in such companies varies from 50 to 100 rubles.

How to organize pickup for an online store on your own:step-by-step algorithm

Pickup from your office is suitable if you are selling a product that needs to be tested before purchasing - clothing, shoes, household appliances.

Step 1 - choose a room. Choose a warehouse or office in the central part of the city, in passage place, for example, in mall to make it convenient for customers to pick up goods. To begin with, you will need a room with an area of 20-30 square meters.

Step 2 - set up a pick-up point. For this, 30 thousand rubles is enough. You will spend them on a computer with the Internet, a cash register, shelves for storing goods, furniture for an employee, a sign at the entrance.

Step 3 - make a display case with goods. If you have organized delivery from an online store through your pick-up point, offer accessories for the goods and thereby increase the average check.

According to statistics, self-pickup delivery is chosen when purchasing inexpensive goods, when paying for courier delivery is pointless. To prevent your profits from falling, offer something else in addition to your main product. To do this, install a display case with accessories in your office.

Step 4 - Hire an honest employee. To issue goods, hire a person with good characteristics. The fact is that the salary of an operator for issuing orders usually does not exceed 30 thousand rubles, even for large cities. Therefore, if an employee turns out to be dishonest, he will be tempted to steal goods that are worth more than his salary.

Step 5 - declare your own pickup point. Write about it on the website, on advertising brochures, on business cards. On the website, explain to customers what it means to pick up goods in an online store and what its advantages are. Take photographs of the sign and display of goods that can be purchased on site. This will increase customer confidence and set you apart from your competitors.

Understanding what self-pickup in an online store is and what its pitfalls are comes with experience. Thus, store owners note that when choosing this type of delivery, many customers do not pick up the goods.

If you have your own pick-up point, organize a system for calling customers or sending SMS reminders to pick up the order. If you use a third-party delivery service for pickup, make sure they notify the customer themselves.

Courier delivery

Today, almost all residents of large cities who have at least once purchased something via the Internet know how courier delivery is carried out in online stores. By choosing this method, you save the buyer’s time, because the courier comes to the client’s home or work, having previously agreed on the time of the visit.

In addition, almost all types of courier delivery involve testing the goods before payment - trying on clothes, checking the operation of equipment, etc.

An online store can carry out courier delivery in two ways: hire your own courier or use the services of a courier service.

Advantages of your own courier delivery

1. The method of delivering goods from an online store by your own courier is more flexible compared to the services of third-party courier services. The courier adapts to your customer, and not to the schedule of the company where he works. If necessary, he will deliver the goods after hours or change the route to pick up an order that you received at 19.00, but want to deliver to the client on the same day.

2. If the client transfers payment for the order through a courier, then you receive the money immediately, rather than waiting several days for the courier company to transfer it to you.

3. By hiring your own courier, you work with one trusted person. If you find “your” employee and work together, you don’t have to worry about the safety of your parcels and delivery times. When contacting a courier service, couriers may change, and along with them, the attitude to work will change, which depends on the individual.

4. Your courier knows your product well, unlike the courier service employee. At the very least, you can train him so that he can answer simple questions from the buyer and help him understand the product. He is the face of your store, your advertising and your additional sales tool.

It’s worth thinking about how to organize your delivery service when you are able to maintain it and when you have a flow of orders from 5-10 per day. Beginning entrepreneurs are better off outsourcing this process.

An online store for those who have no time to understand development. Ready in 5 working days, over 100 sales tools! Just upload your products and start selling! Shopconstructor will do the rest.

Advantages of a courier company for an online store

1. You pay for courier services only when you need him, and do not have a person on staff who goes out to deliver orders from time to time.

2. Arranging delivery from the online store to other cities is possible only with the help of courier services. They have enough resources to quickly and inexpensively transport your goods to another region.

3. It’s easier to cope with peak loads, for example, before the New Year. Courier companies usually have a large staff and you can use these additional resources if necessary.

4. If the package is lost or damaged due to the fault of the courier, the courier service is responsible for this. If the goods are damaged due to the fault of your courier, you will most likely bear the losses.

5. You can order urgent delivery from a courier company if, for example, the client needs to receive the goods in two hours. If there is one full-time courier who this moment busy with other orders, you will not be able to provide such a service.

6. You can read about how outsourced courier delivery works in reviews, there are many of them on the Internet. Based on reviews, it is easy to determine the strengths and weak sides companies, and then choose the one that suits you. When organizing your delivery service, you don’t know what kind of difficulties you will encounter.

The cost of a courier delivery service within the city is 200-250 rubles per parcel. Speed – from several hours to several days. As a rule, courier services have different tariffs - the more deliveries you arrange, the cheaper each of them costs.

Organizing a delivery service for an online store necessarily involves delivery by courier, regardless of what region you are in and what you sell.

Delivery by transport companies

The services of transport companies for online stores are relevant when you need to send goods to another city. This is convenient for large and expensive cargo if you do not trust Russian Post to transport them. The essence of this method is as follows:

The buyer makes an advance payment for the goods.

You send the cargo to the warehouse of the transport company or order courier delivery to your door (this depends on the wishes of the client).

The recipient picks up the goods and, if necessary, makes the remaining payment.

If you choose which is better, the post office or the transport company, then the second option has more advantages: the speed is higher, the attitude towards parcels is more careful, and there are more conveniences for the recipient and the sender. However, transport companies have higher prices and branches of the transport company you have chosen will not be in all cities.

So, how to organize delivery and how to send goods from an online store? A self-respecting store offers several methods of delivering goods:

By courier - for those who need it faster and who are nearby.

Pickup - for those who do not want to overpay and buy goods for a small amount.

Russian Post – to places where couriers do not work.

By a transport company - for those who are not satisfied with the mail deadlines.

To make it easier for you to choose the best delivery methods in Russia and the CIS, we have prepared a selection of 15 delivery services with reviews and descriptions.

Options for delivery of goods and delivery services in Russia and CIS

http://boxberry.ru is a market leader with branches in 333 cities of Russia. More than one and a half thousand online stores use the services of the Boxberry goods delivery company.

The store owner needs to register on the website and send delivery requests through his Personal Account. Each client is provided with a personal manager. You can bring your orders to the Boxberry warehouse or call a courier who will pick up the goods. The advantage of this method of delivering goods is the ability to track the location of the parcel on the website and an online calculator with cost calculations.

Review of Boxberry on the Internet

http://www.edostavka.ru is one of the best delivery services for goods from online stores, known as SDEK, on the market since 2000. There are 450 delivery points in 90 cities of Russia. SDEK transports goods from abroad, including from China, and offers an urgent delivery service on the same day.

For owners of online stores who have entered into an agreement, SDEK gives discounts from 3 to 10%, prints invoices, calls recipients to clarify delivery time, works on weekends and after 18.00 and provides many other additional services.

Review of SDEK on the Internet

http://www.shop-logistics.ru - the delivery service "Shop-Logistics" organizes delivery for online stores in 5,000 cities in Russia. According to the administration, 95% of parcels are delivered without problems. Cash on delivery payments from buyers are transferred within 1-3 days.

You can install an online calculator from Shop Logistics on your website. With its help, users will calculate the exact price themselves. Delivery cost - from 50 rubles per parcel. Most pick-up points are equipped with fitting rooms for those purchasing clothes.

Review of Shop-logistics on the Internet

http://www.topdelivery.ru is a Russian network for delivering letters and parcels. Delivery is carried out by courier or to a pick-up point. Deadlines for Moscow and St. Petersburg – 1 day. Top Delivery operates in 1,800 settlements in Russia and has more than 200 pick-up points.

According to employees, the Topdelivery company copes even with the New Year’s peak of work. Calls recipients and sends them messages, gives them the opportunity to make a partial return, and allows them to test the product for 15 minutes before paying.

Review of Topdelivery on the Internet

http://post.reworker.ru – the Reworker company deals not only with the delivery of goods for online stores. It also provides services for order processing, storage, and parcel labeling. Works with Russian Post and the most common courier services - Boxberry, CDEK, DPD and others. All you need is to conclude an agreement, connect the system to your store and leave requests. Couriers will pick up the goods from you and send them through the desired delivery service on the same day.

The cost of delivery from online stores to Reworker is from 24 rubles. Sends goods from Moscow and St. Petersburg. It simplifies complex work with Russian Post - it prepares and packs parcels, takes care of paperwork, and ensures a minimum commission when sending cash on delivery from the client.

Review of Reworker on the Internet

http://getparcel.ru is a reactive delivery service to online stores (as they call themselves), which delivers goods within the Moscow Ring Road in three hours. Unfortunately, for now they don’t travel further than the Moscow Ring Road. The GetParcel delivery service cooperates with forty partners or 1,600 couriers in Moscow. Couriers undergo special training, each has a cash register and a terminal for card payments.

The Getparcel service has its own API for installing a widget on your website if you have a large online store, and a Personal Account for sending orders if sales volumes are still small.

http://allegro-plus.rf is a courier service that specializes in the delivery of correspondence and parcels throughout Moscow. It also works with online stores and offers discounts to regular customers. “Allegro-Plus” picks up shipments from your warehouse free of charge, packs the parcels and calls the recipients to coordinate the delivery time with them.

The courier service “Allegro-plus.rf” enters into an agreement with online stores. Each client is assigned a manager who will tell you how to organize delivery to the buyer through your Personal Account, how to print accompanying documents and maintain your address book.

Review of Allegro-plus on the Internet

http://www.latella-post.ru - a courier service founded in 2007, delivering goods from online stores in Moscow, Russia and abroad. The Latella delivery service has 90 branches throughout Russia, as well as representative offices in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

The service has a fleet of 50 vehicles at its disposal; it books about 3,000 flights per month for the delivery of goods. One of the disadvantages of the “Latella” delivery service is that couriers work only on weekdays and during business hours from 9 to 18.

http://www.doklienta.ru is a transport company that works with cash on delivery. TC "Doklienta" delivers cargo weighing up to 10 tons, picks up goods from the supplier, transfers cash on delivery, allows you to try on clothes, assemble furniture and check household appliances before paying.

The delivery times for goods from the online store are clearly shown, there is an online calculator for calculating the cost of delivery in Moscow, to any city in Russia or the CIS. Doklienta.ru's prices depend on the number of deliveries per month and the weight of the parcel. On average, delivery of one parcel up to a kilogram costs 25 rubles/

Review of Doklienta on the Internet

http://courier-fakel.ru – the Fakel courier service has been operating since 2011, delivering goods throughout Moscow and Russia. Delivery by courier to your home or to a pick-up service in Moscow is possible. Works without delay - undertakes to return the delivery cost if the courier is late by more than an hour.

“Fakel” assigns a personal manager to each online store, returns money from cash on delivery within three days, can store your goods in its warehouse, and allows you to monitor the status of your order online.

https://www.hermesrussia.ru is a company delivering goods from the Hermes online store on the market for more than forty years. Offers delivery throughout Russia with German precision. The company's head office is located in Hamburg. In Russia there are about 600 distribution points in 155 cities.

The Hermes delivery service notifies recipients of the arrival of the cargo by phone or SMS, arranges insurance for all cargo, and coordinates the express return of goods back to the online store. Estimated delivery time in Moscow and the region is 1-2 days.

Review of Hermesrussia on the Internet

http://www.dimex.ws - delivery service for online stores, operating since 1998. Delivers cargo to more than 9,000 cities in Russia and the CIS. There is an option for delivery of goods the next morning (express) and delivery of groupage cargo, as well as packaging of goods with several degrees of protection.

Dimex courier service provides Additional services: delivery outside business hours, change of recipient's address, delivery with an inventory of the contents, declared value, delivery by a certain time.

http://www.ecp-logistic.ru is a courier delivery method through Russian Post or our own pick-up points. “ECP-Logistic” operates in Moscow and the regions. They pick up shipments from your warehouse for free, change the address or full name of the recipient for free, help you install your API in the online store, and provide you with a Personal Account with everything you need.

The ESP-Logistic delivery service gives a 10% discount on delivery from online stores in the first month of service, and does not increase prices for services if you need to deliver goods on weekends. Weight Limit departures - 15 kg.

Review of Ecp-logistic on the Internet

http://index-express.ru - professional delivery of goods and correspondence. IndexExpress offers online stores the organization of delivery of goods to pickup points in Moscow (9 pickup points) and St. Petersburg (24 pickup points). Upon request, it can pick up cargo from your supplier and store it in its warehouse.

The Index-express courier service sends messages to recipients at all stages of delivery. Offers a convenient tariff with a fixed cost of 250 rubles, regardless of the number of deliveries.

http://cse.ru - the transport company “CourierServiceExpress” began operating in 1997. Today, there are more than 150 branches of the courier service throughout Russia. There are more than 170 people on staff.

KSE offers online stores convenient delivery options throughout Russia, storage and packaging of goods, well-established customer service and 10,000 square meters of warehouse space.

How to organize delivery in an online store - tips

1. If the average check amount in your store is 1000 rubles, be sure to make delivery by pickup. The client is unlikely to want to pay another 250-300 for delivery by courier when the price of the goods is 1000 rubles.

2. When concluding an agreement for courier or transport services for an online store, read it carefully. What happens if the courier loses the package or doesn’t meet the deadline, does the manager call the recipients or send them an SMS, how long does it take to transfer money for the goods to you, what if the buyer does not pick up the order - these and other conditions must be clearly stated.

3. Make your store available for express same-day or within-hour delivery. According to a survey, 36% of potential buyers do not place an order due to long delivery times. Don't lose these clients.

4. Mostly customers are ready to pick up orders in the evening, after work. Peak time - 19.00-22.00. Keep this in mind when planning your courier or pickup schedule.

Choosing the best goods delivery companies: check list

Experienced online store owners advise choosing a courier service that:

Has many branches in Moscow and St. Petersburg. According to statistics, 70-90% of online store buyers are Muscovites and residents of the northern capital.

Withstands peak New Year's load. Many companies miss delivery deadlines for goods from online stores during the holidays and damage the profits and reputation of the owners.

Can pick up packages after 19.00, and not in the middle of the working day. This is convenient for you and is necessary so that you can give the courier all the orders that have accumulated during the day.

It has its own API (code for posting on the site) so that you can manage the delivery of your online store from the admin panel. This is especially true for large trading platforms.

Returns packages that the buyer did not pick up free of charge. No later than a week later and indicating the reason for the return.

When choosing a courier service, of course, you need to rely on reviews. But don’t be surprised if you see a lot of negative reviews of the best delivery services for online stores in Russia. Remember that good things are rarely written about because they go without saying. But people willingly talk about unsuccessful collaboration experiences through all channels.

Fast delivery and happy customers!

Many years of work in logistics, experience in managing my own transport company and logistics at the Parquet Hall company completely convinced me that only a specialized transportation company needs its own commercial transport. In all other cases, the problems and costs of having your own transport fleet are much greater than the advantages. Let's take a closer look at the process of outsourcing the delivery of goods to the buyer.

In this article you will read:

How to outsource the organization of goods delivery
Nuances and errors in the process of organizing the delivery of goods to the buyer

Organization of goods delivery to the buyer, when abandoning his own fleet of vehicles, is increasingly being used in the world of commerce. I think there is only one advantage in own organization of delivery of goods: the car is at the owner’s disposal around the clock and is ready to move in any direction. But with good organization of outsourcing delivery, all risks can be reduced to almost zero and costs can be minimized.

Best article of the month

We have prepared an article that:

✩will show how tracking programs help protect a company from theft;

✩will tell you what managers actually do during working hours;

✩explains how to organize surveillance of employees so as not to break the law.

With the help of the proposed tools, you will be able to control managers without reducing motivation.

Assess costs and burdens

The owner of the transport bears all the risks and full responsibility of delivery outsourcing - for the safety of the cargo, the vehicle, for the consequences of road accidents, the health of drivers and much more. When the transport belongs to a company, it must take care of insurance, taxes, parking, washing, disinfection of cars (if they carry products), technical maintenance, etc. It is necessary to organize a pre-trip medical examination of drivers and a check of the technical condition of the transport.

And for this you need to either hire medical worker and mechanics, or take responsibility also for non-compliance with Russian legislation. A separate difficulty is an accident with harm to health and death and a chain of consequences: legal costs, compensation to the injured party (treatment of victims, financial compensation for loss of life, repair of a vehicle in case of exceeding the limit under compulsory motor liability insurance, compensation for loss of goods or marketable type of cargo) and similar out-of-pocket expenses (payment for treatment of the driver, repair of the vehicle and compensation for the cost of damage caused to the cargo owner). Plus a simple car until all the circumstances of the accident are clarified.

Logistics for an online store: 5 main mistakes

During intercity transportation, the owner of the vehicle or his employee must look for customers to load the vehicle back. It is he who is worried about minimizing the empty mileage of the car. Resolving all these issues takes a lot of time, effort, nerves and ultimately results in serious costs for the company.

Perhaps that is why the transport services of such giants as IKEA, McDonalds, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, etc. are outsourced. We also followed this path, paying, however, great attention to the correct building of relationships with transport companies, drivers and control over them activities. After all, it is the driver who communicates with the end buyer and transfers the cargo to him.

Selecting a contractor to organize delivery of goods to the buyer

To organize the delivery of goods to the buyer in Moscow and the Moscow region, I prefer to hire drivers with their own vehicle. I would be happy to work with individuals on intercity transportation, but then their loading on the way back becomes my concern (otherwise I will have to pay for travel in both directions), and transport companies - legal entities solve these issues on their own.

The requirements for the transport company with which we begin cooperation are simple: work on the market for more than three years and the presence of funds on the organization’s balance sheet (documentary confirmation is required). It is advisable that the company have an insurance policy for the transportation of goods.

There are more requirements for the driver with whom the company is going to enter into an agreement for the transportation of goods. For example, the car must be his property (working by proxy is highly undesirable) and, of course, all documents for it must be in order. Our company's security service carries out a standard verification procedure, makes a number of requests to the traffic police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and we begin to cooperate.

We have a large company that makes about 1,000 deliveries per month during the season, or about 40 per day. For this volume of work, ten permanent machines are enough for us. And two drivers with their cars are in reserve. Negotiating cooperation with a large number of drivers at the same time is dangerous. That is, reserves should be no more than 20% of the total required quantity. Otherwise, if their services are not in demand for a long time, they find other options for earning money and may let them down at the right time.

Payment for a driver with a personal car is piecemeal, for each trip separately, depending on the mileage and weight of the cargo. We pay well, because almost all responsibility for delivery lies with the driver.

Organization of the goods delivery process

Our transport service has two dispatchers. Their task is to accept orders (take a cast for the next day) from the managers of all our stores (table). Applications for the next day close at 6:00 p.m. Dispatchers are engaged in routing, drawing up the order of deliveries, taking into account many factors: the carrying capacity of the vehicles, the parameters of each cargo, the geography of the destination, traffic congestion. And from 18.00 to 20.00 they call drivers, each of whom makes four to five deliveries the next day.

In the morning, the driver arrives at the warehouse, receives a list of goods and contacts of consignee clients. The driver’s responsibilities include, firstly, calling all clients to remind them that delivery will take place today and to receive confirmation that they are waiting for him. The fact is that the client does not always order delivery on the day immediately following the day of purchase. And often he simply forgets that he must be at the address and wait for the cargo. And in accordance with our internal regulations, if the value of the cargo exceeds 50,000 rubles, we have the right to transfer it only to the person whose details are indicated in the purchase documents.

The driver is then loaded into the warehouse. He is the one who monitors the loading. After all, it is very important that the cargo is placed in the body according to the sequence of the route and that what is intended for the first recipient does not end up in the depths of the body, and vice versa. Drivers do not participate in unloading goods from the client, because they do not have the right to leave the car - they are financially responsible persons. If necessary, at the request of the client, the driver is accompanied by one or two loaders. Loader services are paid.

An hour before the delivery time, the driver calls the client again. If there is a delay, I must notify you.

And the final stage of each delivery and an important point in the driver’s responsibilities is to receive a signed invoice from the client, which he must submit to the transport department the next day.

Our company provides drivers with telephone communications and special clothing. About once a year he updates the awnings on their trucks free of charge. A new awning is not a cheap pleasure (40–60 thousand rubles). But our drivers drive with awnings with company advertising on them. This is one of the conditions for cooperation with employees with personal transport.

Table. Stages of organizing cargo transportation using the example of the Parquet Hall company


Dispatchers	Accepting applications the next day	Accepting applications for the next day, routing delivery taking into account the carrying capacity of vehicles, load of routes	Distribution of requests for next day delivery
Customers	Formation of applications, transfer of orders to the dispatcher	Formation of requests, transfer of the order to the dispatcher	Receiving orders, signing documents
Drivers	Arrival at the warehouse, transfer of reporting documents for the delivery of orders from the previous day	Receiving cargo and customer contacts. Loading, calling recipients to confirm that the order is pending.	Delivery (four to five orders per day), unloading, signing documents

Service control

The Parquet Hall call center periodically selectively calls 10–20% of clients and asks a number of questions regarding the service, including delivery: “Did the driver serve you politely?”, “Did the loader put on shoe covers?”, “How neat was he?” appearance our employees? etc.

Personnel outsourcing: advantages and risks for companies

Sales departments (where customer complaints are usually received) provide monthly assessments for the work of the warehouse and transport department. If there were comments regarding delivery, the dispatcher will not receive a bonus. And next time he won’t allow a puncture. But we almost never have such cases.

It is very rare that a driver does not go to work. (Naturally, in this case, we terminate the contract with him.) If this happens, it happens in December and not with permanent employees, but with those whom we hire in addition to the usual 10–12 drivers. And the absenteeism is due to the fact that someone offered more for the flight than our company. Drivers make excuses by saying that they earn money one month a year - in December.

Agreement

Each transport company prefers its own contract for freight forwarding services. The difference usually lies in what exactly is written in the clauses on responsibility for the safety and placement of cargo in the vehicle.

Referring to the motor transport regulations, I try to insist that either the drivers (if they are private owners) or the company are responsible.

I also recommend paying attention to the points that relate to fines for downtime and standard loading and unloading time. Legal entities are seeking to increase the amount of the fine per hour of downtime. On the one hand, every effort must be made to ensure timely unloading, and on the other hand, the contract must specify as much time as possible for loading and unloading without penalty.

Tariff tracks

Before hiring a carrier for long-distance cargo delivery, you need to get a clear understanding of the rates that apply today. Then you can bargain intelligently and reasonably. Otherwise, transport companies will impose inflated tariffs. U individuals the prices are, of course, lower, especially if you find a driver who, after delivering the cargo, goes home.

There are many nuances. For example, a trip on the route Moscow - St. Petersburg is half the price of a flight to reverse side(drawing). And before the New Year, you can find a car either at double the rate or at half the usual price (those who are rushing home for the holiday will agree). However, in December all intercity transportation becomes more expensive by 20–30%. And in the spring, load capacity restrictions are introduced on many routes, which must be remembered in advance in order to take action in time.

Alexander Karabanov,

Head of Logistics Department, Parquet Hall

Alexander Karabanov Graduated from the Russian Economic Academy named after. G. V. Plekhanov. In 2009, he headed the logistics department of the Parquet Hall company, before which he headed the logistics department of Ingri Flooring Technologi. Specialist in the field of purchasing and inventory management and reducing company costs, organizing warehouse logistics, transport logistics, etc.

"Parquet Hall" sells products from global manufacturers of floor coverings, has its own brands and production. On the Russian market - 17 years. Retail commercial network- 38 stores in 13 cities of Russia. Official website - www.parquet-hall.ru

* The calculations use average data for Russia

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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, the Russian market offers 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. A comparison table containing characteristics will help you make a decision 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.

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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 the tax office and hand over/pick up documents. Thanks to this service, the client saves time, and you receive additional profit.

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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 give up Required documents documents for registration of individual entrepreneurs and, after the period specified in the notification, you take 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.

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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. Plan your marketing expenses right away so that you can 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. When you have already become a full-fledged participant in the market, you can attract customers by providing additional services at competitive prices and intelligently advertising your 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 methods of 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

Before setting up delivery methods in the store, you need to decide on the sales region:

If you work only in one region, then courier delivery of store goods and pickup will be enough for you.
if you work in several regions, then you need to implement delivery using delivery services (for example, PickPoint, Boxberry, DPD) through certain delivery services.

To organize courier delivery and pickup:

Delivery depending on the shipping cost of each item

To organize delivery using delivery services (PickPoint, Boxberry, DPD, EMS Russian Post, Russian Post).

Pickup

Pickup- this is a method of receiving an order from an online store in which the buyer picks up the goods directly at the online store’s office, warehouse or at a specific order pickup point.

Free shipping

Free shipping is now quite common as some kind of marketing ploy to increase sales.

For some sellers, free shipping is a necessity, a competitive advantage.

Setup instructions this method delivery available .

Fixed shipping cost

This delivery method provides almost the same benefits as free shipping.

The buyer knows exactly how much he will have to pay for delivery; he does not need to understand the delivery conditions.