What is Automated Carrier Rate Shopping?
Implement real-time rate shopping to save money and improve the customer experience.
As a key feature of multi-carrier shipping software, automated rate shopping compares shipping rates and transit times across carriers and carrier services, instantly finding the most cost-effective option for each package in real-time.
ProShip’s multi-carrier shipping software partners with over 250 domestic and international shipping carriers, executes complex, pre-defined business rules, and allows you to meet your promised delivery date for each package shipped. This carrier-agnostic approach ensures you find the best rates, saving money on shipping without sacrificing speed. Keep your customers happy and your bottom line healthy – all within one powerful platform.
What is Basic Rate Shopping?
Basic carrier rate shopping automatically selects the best shipping rate based on applicable service selection (i.e. can the carrier complete the shipment) and total cost to ship, which include base rates, discounts, and all assessorials and surcharges.
As an example, it’s critical to rule out carrier service levels that will not ship to a specific address, such as a PO Box, or a commercial address, even if it’s technically the lowest-cost rate.
What is Time-In-Transit Rate Shopping?
Time–in–transit rate shopping goes beyond just cost. It adds a crucial filter to basic rate shopping: delivery speed. This means it considers the number of transit days it will take each carrier to complete the shipment to the end–consumer, or consignee.
This is beneficial for shippers looking to minimize expensive express shipping options. By prioritizing ground shipping whenever possible, time-in-transit rate shopping helps to maximize cost savings while still meeting customer delivery expectations.
For instance, if a customer selects 2-day delivery, this feature identifies the most affordable ground delivery service that meets that timeframe, saving you money compared to a faster (and more expensive) option like 2nd Day Air.
What is Advanced Date Shopping?
Discover the supply chain industry's most intelligent rate shopping automation.
Advanced Date Shopping (ADS) is the most sophisticated, automatic carrier service rate shopping tool available. Because it is developed and supported only by ProShip, it builds upon the strength of basic rate shopping and time-in-transit options by factoring in additional details to guarantee on-time delivery at the best possible price.
This modern form of rate shopping includes filters from basic rate shopping and time-in-transit rate shopping, as well as 6 other data sets, to ensure it meets the delivery promise to the customer (Estimated Delivery Date or EDD). This includes accounting for non-transit days per carrier service level, label creation time, trailer pull times, and more. View the ADS brochure to learn more about this powerful automated rate shopping technology.
ADS Rate Shopping Data Sets
To optimize your shipping decisions and maximize both cost savings and customer satisfaction, Advanced Date Shopping utilizes a powerful algorithm that evaluates 9 data sets. These data sets work together to provide a comprehensive picture:
Cost-Normalization
This ensures a clear cost comparison across all carrier services from rate shop groups or best-way groups, by considering all costs including base rates, fuel surcharges, assessorials and discounts.
Basic Rate Shopping
Finds the lowest-cost carrier rate from applicable carrier shipping services.
Time-in-Transit Rate Shopping
Data that includes the number of days a package will be in transit for each carrier service.
Customer Day/Hour of Choice
Considers the customer’s delivery expectation, i.e. estimated delivery date.
Label Creation Time
Includes when the shipping label will physically be created, when the package will be stamped, and when it will be placed on the carrier trailer.
Last Carrier Pickup Time
Factors in when the trailer will physically leave the shipping location (distribution center, store, etc.).
Contracted Pickup Dates
Considers your pre-arranged carrier pick-up schedule.
Contracted Transit Dates
Considers your established carrier transit times for different service levels.
Contracted Delivery Dates
Considers your carrier’s guaranteed delivery days.
By analyzing these data points, ADS takes the guesswork out of on-time delivery, ensuring your packages arrive when needed, while reducing your shipping costs. This exclusive ProShip feature empowers you to provide exceptional customer service and optimize your bottom line. Watch our Advanced Date Shopping video and view our ADS brochure to learn more.
[Videos] Learn How Automated Carrier Rate Shopping Works
Check out our automated rate shopping videos to learn the 3 types of ProShip rate shopping, take an in-depth look at ProShip's exclusive Advanced Date Shopping (ADS) functionality, and watch the ProShip ParcelCast video podcast to hear the inside scoop on rate shopping automations from ProShip's technical team.
Lower Shipping Costs and Increase Customer Lifetime Value with ProShip
Ensuring timely parcel delivery is paramount for fostering a positive and long-lasting customer experience (CX). Forward-thinking shippers acknowledge the crucial balance between on-time delivery and effective cost management. By employing automated rate shopping, they can reduce shipping expenses while simultaneously enhancing customer satisfaction.
Diving deeper, automated rate shopping empowers shippers to uphold their service commitments to consumers at the most economical rates across various carrier and service options, in real-time. These shippers can seamlessly navigate the complexities of rate comparisons in a fraction of a second and are also adaptable, rerouting packages to optimize cost savings as carrier and service options fluctuate.
The result is lower shipping costs and happier customers. In today’s market, a shipping strategy with a competitive edge demonstrates a commitment to exceeding expectations and building stronger customer loyalties.
Recommended Read: Unlock Maximum Shipping Cost Savings: Real-Time Rate Shopping at the Packing Station
“We saw an ROI with ProShip multi-carrier shipping software in about a month.”
Pat Sullivan
Distribution Center & Logistics Manager
Mason Companies
“We looked at the cost versus return on investment and soon the ROI was less than one year. If Trek sees a ROI in less than a year, we're going to do it.”
Loyal Reierson
Midwest Distribution Center & Logistics Manager
Trek
Frequently Asked ProShip Rate Shopping Questions
What carriers can ProShip Rate Shop?
ProShip instantly rate shops hundreds of carrier services to find you the lowest shipping price with delivery times. Carriers include major domestic/international, such as FedEx, UPS, DHL and the United States Postal Service (USPS), regional, final mile, and same-day. Visit our Carrier Library for a full list of providers.
How quickly does ProShip's rate shopping functionality compare rates?
ProShip's rate shopping software is designed for speed and efficiency for high parcel volumes. It utilizes advanced algorithms to compare rates across hundreds of shipping carriers, service delivery options, and pre-defined business rules in real-time. This means you get the most cost-effective options for your shipments within milliseconds, without any delays in your workflow.
How can I add/edit/change Rate Shop Groups?
With ProShip’s Parcel Config App, logistics teams can manage carrier accounts, rate shop groups, document standards, and more. This includes the capability to create and remove carrier services and Best Way/Rate Shop groups, as well as setting up or altering new or existing shipping locations without relying on IT.
What additional factors can I take into account during rate shopping?
There are a variety of features available to businesses who utilize ProShip’s automatic rate shopping functionality. A few common rate shopping factors include:
- Carrier Volume Balancing (CVB): Ensures you’re reaching your minimum and maximum volume thresholds per each carrier, while still optimizing for carrier spend. (Recommended blog: [Carrier Volume Balancing Made Easy] Don’t Miss Out on Parcel Shipping Discounts!)
- Line Haul / Zone Skipping: Incorporate the cost of a line haul as part of the rate shopping comparison to optimize for cost and time-in-transit efficiency. (Recommended blog: How Zone Skipping Can Transform Your Parcel Fulfillment Strategy)
- Carrier Performance: Utilize carrier performance data to override service selection and obtain more accurate time-in-transit results during rate shopping.
- Weather Feeds: Utilize real-time weather information at package delivery destination to assist with dry ice overpacks or to optimize service level to prevent spoil.
Can I rate shop between different modes, such as LTL and parcel?
Yes, you can. ProShip’s rate shopping software evaluates multiple carriers to reduce transit times for parcel shipments, as well as LTL (less-than-truckload) shipment while keeping costs in check.
Maximize your savings on every package with ProShip.
Let's talk about how ProShip automated rate shopping can reduce costs and open new revenue streams on a no-pressure ProShip Discovery Call.