South African small businesses that are looking to expand their footprint to international markets not only need to think about how to advertise to their international audience, but also how converted sales will be delivered to these new clients. That’s why you should choose the right international courier partner.
When a business wants to grow, it might be necessary to expand beyond national borders, reaching clients internationally. Homesick expats or individuals who appreciate your particular product might like to order your goods. Or South Africans might like to send presents to friends and family working overseas. If so, the question then arises: how do you, as a business owner, ensure your clients receive the products they ordered, all in one piece?
It’s vital to choose the right courier service. These businesses will be imperative in growing your global footprint but should enable you to deliver the service that you promised while understanding all of the legal implications of international shipping (like customs clearance, for instance). Here are a few characteristics you should look for in a courier service to reach international clients.
What to Look for in Courier Services for International Markets
Reliability
Reliability means that you can rely on the service to deliver the business results when promised. Can you count on the courier when you really need it?
Advanced Tracking
From a service point of view, you (the business owner) should be able to track a parcel at any point in time to see where it is. Real-time tracking provides the customer with peace of mind that they will receive their package safely and on time.
Cost
A business owner needs to assess what value the courier service is providing and what the cost of that is. Look into the various pricing structures that the various logistics companies offer, as well as the services they entail. Security, expertise on duty and taxes, geographical coverage, upfront costs and better service delivery are all factors that impact the value of the final cost.
Geographic Coverage
The reach of a courier is an important factor. It doesn’t help to partner with a courier that might only service a few countries, and perhaps not even those in which you will make money. Ideally, you would want to partner with someone who has an extensive network.
Tailored Solutions
Having tailored solutions that might justify a higher cost, and which will depend on the goods that you are shipping, are additional offerings such as temperature-controlled shipping, packaging or even insurance. This is particularly useful if the products are fragile or sensitive to temperature.
Administration and Integration
It is also particularly helpful to consider what technological advantages are that a courier service can offer you. Integrations directly with your online store make business easy to run and ensure that you can automate a lot of repetitive tasks. This not only speeds up the process for the customer, but also saves you, as the entrepreneur, a lot of time.
Courier Services That Can Connect You to International Markets
City Logistics
This logistics service provides cross-border management across Africa, specifically to Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Mozambique. It offers South African SMEs an end-to-end solution for managing all exports and imports.
Collivery
Collivery is the express delivery service from MDS. It services over 30 hubs worldwide and has solutions that support businesses, whether they are large corporations or SMMEs.
X International Couriers
X International Couriers is a logistics business that operates in both the international and domestic markets. It provides international clients with services such as international document and non-document couriering. It also offers airfreight and import services.
TUNL
TUNL is a South African business that believes scaling should be simple, and their seamless integration enables that. They leverage technology to specifically service the local startup community by making international shipping affordable and effortless.
Aerospeed Couriers
Aerospeed Couriers offer customers a full range of customised express courier, logistics and transportation solutions. It offers both international and domestic services for both parcels and documents.
By partnering with a courier service that has international service coverage, South African SMEs are able to reach a wider, global audience. This helps their brands grow as well as boost the local economy.
