Shipping labels affixed to packages let couriers know important shipping-related information. This includes details such as the package’s origin, destination and so on. Standardized labels prevent shipping issues, streamlining the shipping process. Let’s look at shipping labels in detail.
There are seven elements that should be included in a shipping label. They are the sender, receiver, barcode, shipping method, package information, shipping cost and the shipment code. Computer-created labels give the most reliable results because they ensure that industry standards regarding the label’s information are met.
Labels that do not adhere to industry standards cause a large portion of shipping problems and financial loss. This is especially true when it comes to the placement of information. For instance, kids working in a family business may hand-write the “To” address on packages where the “From” information normally goes. Some courier employees will only look for the address located in the standard destination location rather than seeing the "To" and "From" and going by that.
If the package is mailed from a foreign country, it could spend over a month being shipped back and forth across the ocean or a border before it reaches its destination. After waiting over a month for their package, customers could reasonably ask for, and receive, a full refund. When the package finally arrives, customers may have already received free merchandise. Adherence to standard practices would have prevented this financial loss. It’s best to remove the human element.
How you create your shipping labels depends on how many orders you normally have, the kind of technology you have and who your couriers are. Post office clerks commonly create one-off labels. Once you get a lot of orders, numerous trips to the post office will become too time-consuming. Eventually, you will want to upgrade your shipping process. There are three options. You can create your labels on the courier’s page. You can integrate a label-printing program into your online store (only for certain couriers). Or, you can use an automation program once you become a high-volume business.
Other shipping labels help to ensure proper handling of packages. They are premade, brightly colored labels that have short messages on them. They say things like “priority,” “no forklift,” “partial case,” “team lift,” “next day,” “lay flat,” “expedite,” “customer pick up” and so on. Not only are these labels noticeable, but they save you the time and trouble associated with writing these instructions on boxes by hand. While you would affix your main shipping label toward the top of one side of your package, you could put these little bright labels all over the package so as to ensure proper handling while in transit.