Should I choose tracked or untracked for my business parcel shipping?

What are the benefits of tracked or untracked parcel delivery services for my business?

There are benefits to both types of parcel delivery services but you may find one suits your business model, location of customers, and item requirements better than the other.

Reviewing customer delivery experiences may allow some insight into whether your customers link the ability to track their goods to improved customer experience with your business.

For businesses that have cross-border customers, it is important to understand the typical delivery duration of delivery times based on your parcel delivery partners and whether additional tracking elements would aid customers' confidence and their potential to become, a return customer. 

If you’re unsure which to choose, consider the differences and advantages between the two, to decide which is best for your business needs by reading our infornative guide below. 

Business Tracked Delivery

Tracked parcels delivery is sometimes confused with signed for delivery, but there is a difference between the two. With signed for delivery, it only shows where a parcel is once it has been signed for, there is no visibility en route. Whereas with parcel tracking you can view where the package is and its delivery progress along the way.

At Whistl, our postage and parcel tracking services include a wide range of options, whether it’s for part tracked letters to fully tracked parcels for next day delivery or even based on the item's final destination with domestic and international services.  Whistl works with carefully selected carrier partners, in worldwide destinations, so first-time delivery success is easily possible with our tracked services.  

Benefits of Business Tracked Delivery

The main benefit of tracked parcel delivery services is that they provide peace of mind for both your e-commerce business and for your customers. Many clients and customers will be encouraged by parcel tracking options, especially if they require products quickly. Such visibility also presents your business as trustworthy and reliable, as well as creating opportunities to contact customers with new offers and information.

The ability to track items in-flight means allows the end recipient to review the status of the item delivery and minimise customer queries on the location and delivery time of their order. It also means your business has a clearer understanding of potential inventory and revenue, especially if payments are due to be taken from the customer after delivery. 

Ideal for...

• Businesses selling high-value products such as jewellery, electronics or high end fashion will especially benefit from parcel tracking, as both customers and the company will really want to ensure items get delivered safely.
• Large retailers and e-Commerce hoping to streamline their delivery processes and make it as easy as possible to keep tabs on many deliveries will make the most of tracked deliveries too.
• For international retailers, this can be a crucial part of the customer journey, as the ability to see and 'track' their goods from the country of origin to their choice of destination will build confidence in the seller and can minimise frustrations in typically longer delivery durations. 

With one invoice, a range of formats, optional delivery days, and more, this can make parcel tracking a lot clearer for retailers with an online and physical presence and e-commerce companies. Smaller businesses selling via Amazon and eBay can use tracked services, to give their customers a premium delivery experience.    

Business Standard Parcel Delivery

With a standard parcel delivery service for goods delivered within the UK or internationally, there is no tracking or visibility of where the package is during the delivery process. This means typically goods are ordered and delivered with no or little communication to the buyer of when goods will be received. 

For the business sending items, this can mean that it is generally easier to manage especially for those dealing with high volumes of parcels on a regular basis.

In many cases this puts more reliance on your delivery management partner, to ensure that they are reliable to minimise customer queries during delivery.

With Whistl’s parcel delivery services you have more choice available, as we work with a selection of carrier partners in the UK and worldwide. We make the process of parcel deliveries streamlined by collecting your items, processing and sorting them before taking them to the nearest Whistl depot before handing over to the selected delivery partner, to make the final delivery of the items to your customers.

Benefits of Business Standard Delivery
A standard parcel delivery service is a lot more cost-effective than a tracked service, providing a lower-cost option, allowing you to have a stronger return on investment or giving you an edge against your competitors to pass on savings to customers with lower item prices. 

Ideal for…

• Perfect for businesses sending out many small, low-value goods on a regular basis. For example, businesses sending out more traditional mail items, such as large letters are unlikely to require tracking level visibility for you or your customers. In this case, using an 'untracked' service can save your business money.
• e-Commerce retailers operating on a smaller budget or looking to keep costs low will benefit most from untracked parcels delivery, especially if the items they are selling are of low value or low 'perceived' value. Keeping margin's high is especially important for lower value products so using a low cost delivery solution such as our un-tracked service could play an important part in keeping costs down and margins high. 
• Businesses with a large existing customer base could benefit from a standard delivery service, as they may not need to build trust through tracked services. Whistl offers standard delivery services for large letters and parcels of various shapes and sizes. This is the cheapest courier service for online retailers.