As courier methods continue to evolve, online orders are becoming a real competitive option for consumers to shop for the products they need and want. For many major cities in Canada and across the world, orders made on the evening of a Monday can arrive by the same time the next day – for a lower price than the gas spent to drive to the store (especially with today’s gas prices).
In Canada, there are multiple delivery options that eCommerce businesses can offer to their customers. In many cases, giving the choice to the customers themselves instead of giving one option only improves overall customer satisfaction. Customers can choose the shipping method they want based on their own preferences, their budget, and on the estimated time of delivery. FedEx, Canada Post, UPS, and Purolator are all excellent examples of parcel delivery services that work fast within Canada to get orders from online businesses to their customers.
What is Purolator?
Purolator is a Canadian courier and delivery service which is 91% owned by Canada Post. The other 9% is owned by Rainmaker Investments Ltd. and other smaller entities. Specializing in the express delivery of parcels and important documents only, Purolator has developed a strong reputation for being one of the best choices for eCommerce businesses across Canada. And, with the government-owned Canada Post at its back, Purolator comes with reliability and cost-effectiveness that is comparable only to Canada Post itself.
What Types of Shipping Does Purolator Offer?
For Next Day shipping offered by Purolator, Purolator Express offers guaranteed delivery from “most points in Canada to most points in Canada.” Options include, in order of fastest delivery within the next day:
- Purolator Express 9AM
- Purolator Express 10:30AM
- Purolator Express 12PM
- Purolator Express
- Purolator Express Evening
Destinations may only be guaranteed within certain postal codes for some of the above offerings. Each option comes with free live tracking and has the choice of specialized Services like Saturday delivery and Special Handling. Depending on the destination of the package, some deliveries may be made by air as well as ground transportation.
For two days or more ground shipping, Purolator offers Purolator Ground. Options for time include:
- Purolator Ground 9AM
- Purolator Ground 10:30AM
- Purolator Ground
- Purolator Ground Evening
Purolator Ground 9AM, 10:30AM, and Evening are only guaranteed for selected postal codes. Purolator Ground can be delivered to 99.9% of Canadian postal codes within the estimated time given. Every option comes with free tracking and the choice of “specialized services”. You must have an automated shipping system to benefit from Purolator Ground’s specified time services set out above.
How to Ship With Purolator Ground
Businesses can ship with Purolator Ground by dropping off their customer orders at a Shipping Center located in their community. Hours of operation are often extended to meet the needs of business owners. You can also ship online from the Purolator website and have your orders picked up from your doorstep at home or your place of business that day or the next business day, depending on when the order is made.
By signing up for a Business Account with Purolator, eCommerce business owners can benefit from multiple features, including many discounts. Currently, there is a 40% fixed discount if the business meets the specific requirements. Having a Business Account also allows businesses to integrate Purolator’s APIs into their website itself to streamline their shipping process even further.
PluginHive is an Official E-Commerce Integration Partner for Purolator
Purolator Ground Shipping with WooCommerce
Purolator WooCommerce is available to integrate the Purolator APIs into your WooCommerce based eCommerce business. Purolator Shipping Plugin for WooCommerce with Print Label is a cost-effective PluginHive solution for Purolator shipping. It includes the Purolator services you need into your WooCommerce website, including tracking and providing customers with real-time rate options.
Your business can also pay the postage and print shipping labels for bulk orders all at the same time using the automated features PluginHive provides. Both domestic and international shipping can be done from the WooCommerce Purolator plugin.
Purolator Ground Shipping with Shopify
If your business is hosted by Shopify, which is a Canadian company for eCommerce businesses, you can download the PluginHive application Shopify Purolator Shipping for a low cost of $9/month. This app completely automates the shipping process with Purolator on your website. As with the WooCommerce application, the app also provides customers with real-time rate options.
You can pay for all postage in bulk right from your website and automatically print shipping labels for your customer orders. Live tracking and updates are sent to customers to keep them notified of every step in the shipping process.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly your time frees up for your staff when they’re not spending endless hours in data entry. Orders will also spend less time in the first stages of shipping, which means your customers are happier getting their orders quicker. PluginHive makes it easy for your eCommerce business to offer multiple shipping options from multiple companies right from your WooCommerce or Shopify site as well.
PluginHive allows eCommerce merchants to streamline their shipping process right from cart to customers’ doorstep through real-time shipping prices, tracking options, automation of shipping labels and more. Learn more about integrating PluginHive into your Shopify, WooCommerce, or another eCommerce platform by reaching out to our customer support team.