Ship Date Vs. Delivery Date

Introduction 

Ship date and delivery date are two frequently used terms in the logistics industry. Most of the time, they’re used as synonyms of each other. In reality, they’re completely different and are two individual terms. This confusion often leads to poor communication with the customers. Worse, it can even spoil your brand reputation. 

In this guide, we’ll give you a clear-cut idea of how the ship date and the delivery date actually differ. Plus, we’d also give you some expert tips so you can manage them in a better way.

Let’s dive in!

What is the ship date?

The ship date mainly refers to the date when the brand or retailer hands over the shipment(s) to the designated carrier partner after order processing.

To put it simply, the ship date is when the order leaves the fulfillment center to get delivered to the customer’s location.

Most brands notify customers regarding the ship date to maintain transparency. Sometimes, you’ll also find the ship date mentioned as “dispatch date” or “shipping date.” It means it’s the first thing of the transportation process that the customers are updated about.

Let's say the ship date is 14th August and you have promised 2 days delivery. Then, the customers can easily assume that they’ll receive the product on 16th August.

So, the ship date is bridging the gap by notifying your customers that their orders have been dispatched. It further highlights your commitment to customers and helps you create a loyal fan base.

What is the delivery date?

The delivery date is when the customer finally receives the shipment(s) in their hands. So, this is the point where the order generally gets completed.

If we take the previous example again, then 16th August would be the delivery date. On that day, the delivery agent will finally reach the customers and hand over the order.

One term that’s directly correlated with the delivery date is the Estimated Delivery Date (EDD).  Customers often make their purchasing decisions based on EDD.

That’s why brands integrate EDD API to show their customers the most accurate delivery date beforehand. It boosts the brands’ credibility and sometimes triggers impulse buys.

4 Key Factors that Influence the Ship Date

Most business owners might think that the ship date depends only on the shipper or retailer. Actually, there are several factors that directly or indirectly influence the ship date. These are:

1) Inventory availability

If the ordered product is already in stock, it won’t take much time to get the product dispatched. Now, if the product is out of stock or needs extra customization as per customers’ requests, it’d generally take longer to leave the warehouse. Consequently, the ship date will get delayed.

2) Order processing time

Order processing mainly consists of various stages - from the moment the customer places an order to make it ready for delivery.

These include order verification, suitable carrier partner selection, packaging, and creating Airway Bill (AWB) numbers and shipping labels. Amidst these activities, if any errors occur, the rectification of those errors will directly affect the ship date.

3) Order Volume & Packaging

Retailers often offer custom packaging services to customers to better meet their requirements. Not only that, but customers also prefer custom packaging over standard packaging so they can get safe, undamaged products.

However, creating custom packaging takes additional time because you’ll need to prepare packaging materials as per product durability and brand theme. Custom packaging services for larger shipments can directly impact the ship date.

4) Adverse Weather Conditions

Last but certainly not least, adverse weather conditions like heavy rainfall, typhoons, and storms affect the ship date. Until the weather gets better, the products usually don’t get dispatched to ensure the safety of the product and the crew.

4 Key Factors that Influence the Delivery Date

Like the ship date, delivery dates also get affected by some internal and external factors. Take a look at them:

1) Customs clearance

When you deal with cross-border shipping, customs clearance is the first stage you need to clear. It involves multiple administrative tasks like document verification, tariff classification, regulatory compliance, and more. Any inaccuracy or hindrance in these activities can lengthen the delivery date.

2) Selected shipping process

The shipping process you have chosen for your shipments impacts the delivery date head-on. Let’s say your customers have selected ground shipping or standard shipping options.

Then, it'll usually take longer than the air freight or expedited shipping service. In fact, if you offer a hyperlocal delivery option, you can even ship the product within just a few hours.

3) Delivery destination

If the delivery address is near the fulfillment center, undoubtedly, it'd shorten the delivery time. On the other hand, if you need to fulfill international shipping, it’ll take longer. Also, deliveries to some remote locations like villages or islands can take extra time.

4) Customers’ availability & carrier performance

If the customer isn’t available at the delivery time, the carrier partner automatically reschedules the delivery for the next business day. This, in turn, delays the delivery date.

Likewise, carrier performance is also a major factor that can affect these days. Some delivery companies specialize in shipping across certain specific areas.

For example, Ceva Logistics has a good reach in North America and Europe. So, in those regions, you’d deliver the order faster compared to China and Asia.

5 Significant Differences Between Ship Date and Delivery Date

Now that you know all the nitty-gritty details regarding the ship date and the delivery date, let’s check where they exactly differ.

1) Calculation

Retailers calculate the ship date based on various factors. These include - order processing time, customers’ delivery date expectation, and holidays.

On the flip side, the delivery date is determined on the basis of the chosen transportation method, transit time, geographical location, shipping options, and more.

Sometimes, the ship date is also considered while calculating the delivery date. Let’s say the shipping date is Monday, and the customer has requested overnight delivery. Then, you'll have to deliver the product on Monday.

So, we can say that the shipping date plays a major role in determining the delivery date. In fact, delayed ship dates can also result in delayed delivery dates.

2) Importance

The ship date helps customers assume when they are going to receive their products. It not only improves customer satisfaction but also helps you maintain transparency.

Plus, you can also nurture healthy communication with your customers by keeping them in the loop from the very first step.

Now, the delivery date provides your customers with the most accurate time of when they’d receive the product. In fact, according to a study by Shopify, almost 45% want to see estimated delivery dates.

Depending on that, they prefer buying a product. Thus, both the ship date and delivery date are important for successful delivery. But still, the delivery date is more crucial since it has the power to directly win customers’ buy-ins.

3) Customers’ control

When it comes to the ship date, customers have no control over inventory availability, customization, and order processing time.

As a result, the ship date may not be flexible as per customers’ requirements. It’s mostly under the control of the retailer or seller.

In contrast, customers can control the delivery date to a great extent. Furthermore, brands sometimes offer priority shipping services to their customers.

Plus, if the recipient is unavailable on the delivery date, he can change it in the future business days as per his availability. So, the delivery date is more “customer-centric.”

4) Communication channels

You can inform your customers about the ship date via order confirmation emails and automated SMS. Moreover, your customers can see the ship date in the carrier company’s tracking portal.

On the flip side, brands consider various ways to communicate with their customers regarding the delivery date. These are SMS notifications, order confirmation emails, and carrier tracking portals.

Furthermore, you can also notify your customers about the ship date via WhatsApp and customer support agents.

5) International shipments

For international shipments, there are only certain processes that may hamper the ship date. These include customs clearance, document verification, and carrier networks. All these things are still under the seller’s purview.

But, when it comes to international shipping, the delivery date can be majorly impacted, and the retailers can’t control it in this case.

For example, international transit time, delays in border crossing, country’s rules & regulations are a few of them.

In fact, brands sometimes collaborate with the postal authorities of the delivery country - which can also affect the delivery date.

How to Manage the Ship Date and the Delivery Date Efficiently As a Seller

Knowing the differences between the ship date and the delivery date isn’t everything. To ensure hassle-free order fulfillment and a better customer experience, you must also know how you can efficiently manage them. Here are some of our pro tips:

1) Collaborate with selected high-performing carrier partners

Successful order fulfillment depends on reliable and specialized carrier partners to a great extent. Some carrier companies are experts in international shipping, while some have best-in-class expertise in reducing RTO percentage. Likewise, a few carrier partners are skilled in domestic shipping.

Moreover, some are also preferable for different types of shipments. For instance, Blue Dart will be your perfect partner if you’re looking to deliver heavy items like furniture. Now, you can go for DHL if you have high-value items to ship.

Thus, selecting carrier companies based on their expertise will guarantee a successful delivery. ClickPost can help you in this case. It has partnered with 350+ carrier companies.

You can set your preferences as per your expectations, and ClickPost will choose (based on ML technology and past data)  which carrier company can better meet your needs.

2) Keep products in stock

Whatever products you have added to your product pages, make sure they are available in your inventory. Either way, it may cause delays in the ship date and delivery date and harm customers’ experience. What’s worse? You can even lose customers for not meeting their expectations.

Nowadays, brands adopt different inventory management approaches like “make-to-stock” and “safety stock” to always maintain their inventory. Likewise, you can also go for these techniques to stay ahead in the game and boost your sales performance.

3) Automate order processing

You can integrate different shipping APIs or software to automate your order processing. They’ll help you calculate shipping rates, generate AWBs, and create white-labeled shipping labels.

In fact, there are some shipping APIs that can automate courier allocation and send order notifications in real-time.

When you automate these mundane tasks, you can better focus on initiating the shipping process. Consequently, it speeds up the ship date, which further minimizes the delivery time.

4) Offer multiple shipping options

Did you know that almost half of the global shoppers want their shipments within 24 hours? It clearly shows that people want expedited shipping and are even ready to pay extra for it.

Conversely, if they don’t get their orders within their preferred time, they won’t even take a second to scroll through.

So, it'd be your best bet if you offer various shipping options, such as overnight delivery, hyperlocal delivery, two-day delivery, and more.

A compilation of both standard and premium shipping services will help you manage the ship date and delivery date - giving you an edge over your competitors.

5) Take action on failed deliveries

Failed delivery is a growing problem that can cost you $17.3/delivery. The performance of a carrier can vary depending on the number of NDRs (Non-Delivery Reports) they face monthly.

This is a major indicator of the estimated delivery date, in addition to being a factor in delaying the delivery date. 

You can counteract this variation by automating your NDR management process. When the agent updates a carrier about an unsuccessful delivery, it fetches related feedback from the customer. This is sent back to the agent for the next pickup attempt.

ClickPost NDR feature can pull off this process in an automated, efficient way. So, take the required actions on those failed delivery reports quickly. Streamline communication between your delivery agent and customers and make them successful. 

Final Thoughts! 

Though the ship date and the delivery date are quite different from each other, they are somewhat correlated. In fact, any changes in the ship date can directly affect the delivery date.

As a seller, you must deal efficiently with these two important dates for better sales and customer retention. 

FAQs

1) Where is the information regarding the ship date and the delivery date found?

You can find the ship date and the delivery date-related information on the tracking portal of any carrier. You can also get it via messages and emails. ClickPost can also provide serviceability data and real-time tracking updates on a branded tracking page. 

2) Can a customer change the delivery date?

Most brands allow customers to choose the delivery date at their convenience. Some carriers even allow the recipient to reschedule the delivery date after the order has been placed.