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Beyond the Mainland: Simplifying National Coverage with Multi-Carrier Shipping Software
Reliability. It’s become a common buzzword in the logistics industry, but it’s the #1 thing customers expect above all else when it comes to shipping. Regardless of where they live, customers want their packages delivered quickly, accurately, and without hassle. However, for many e-commerce shippers, moving packages beyond the contiguous United States still presents a major challenge. With higher costs, limited carrier coverage, and longer delivery times, remote destinations often feel harder to reach.
When you hear “nationwide coverage”, this means more than servicing just the lower 48. This requires shippers to have the operational flexibility to provide top-tier services to every customer, regardless of their zip code. In the modern supply chain landscape, retailers who provide this reliability have the upper hand when it comes down to competitive positioning.
The good news is that there are advanced technologies already out there to help retailers with their national coverage. By pairing automated multi-carrier shipping software (MCSS) like ProShip with a trusted logistics provider of full domestic shipping coverage like International Bridge, e-commerce businesses can simplify complex shipping networks, optimize carrier selection, and deliver the reliable delivery experience their customers anticipate.
The Hidden Challenge of Shipping Beyond the Mainland
With existing ground networks and competitive carrier rates, shipping within the continental US is fairly predictable. It’s when a package must leave the mainland to locations like Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, that things become more complicated.
Fewer carriers service these areas, and shipping through air can come with hefty rates. Delivery times are at the mercy of Mother Nature and flight availability, while comparing costs and optimizing services are further impacted, making these deliveries even more difficult. This can result in a disjointed shipping strategy that creates operational tension and customer frustration.
What e-commerce shippers need is access to visibility and flexibility, automated decision-making, and a way to ensure each order is sent with the most efficient, cost-effective service, from a single, centralized platform.
Bridging the Gap with Technology and Partnerships
Forget adding additional layers of complexity. Reliable, non-continental US shipping can be achieved with the right combination of technology and partnerships.
Advanced multi-carrier shipping software like ProShip empowers retailers to automate complex processes, unify carrier management, and optimize routing for each shipment, all from a single, centralized platform. By eliminating the bottlenecks of managing multiple systems, ProShip provides shippers with real-time visibility, automated decision-making, and custom business rules, to ensure that every package, including those leaving the mainland, is sent with the most reliable, cost-effective option.
Partnering with a logistics provider purpose-built for shipping outside the mainland, like International Bridge, gives shippers the deep expertise and network needed to overcome transportation limitations associated with traditionally hard-to-reach areas. IB Non-Con is designed to provide dependable e-commerce shipping with facilities strategically located in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. With rapid 3–5-day delivery and savings up to 30% compared to traditional carriers, International Bridge helps retailers simplify delivery and provide excellent customer experiences beyond the lower 48.
By integrating ProShip’s comprehensive shipping software with International Bridge’s non-continental logistics expertise, retailers can optimize their shipping strategy for areas that are harder to reach. This powerful combination results in a streamlined, simplified, and reliable logistics ecosystem, enabling retailers to provide true nationwide coverage with the same confidence and consistency, no matter the location.
Making Coverage Your Competitive Advantage
For e-commerce brands, expanding reliable shipping beyond the continental US isn’t just a business growth strategy but also an opportunity for retailers to step up their game. Many companies overlook the customers in locations like Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, leaving them to battle with long delivery windows or limited service options. This opens the door to increased customer loyalty for retailers who have the capacity to deliver packages with the same consistency, speed, and reliability no matter the location – a competitive advantage that’s hard to beat.
Back to that buzzword reliability, it’s something that sticks with consumers. They remember the brands that provided a great delivery experience, strengthening brand reputation, increasing conversion rates, and building long-term trust. Beyond the customer-facing processes, advanced shipping technology and data-driven decision-making minimize issues with customer service and transit delays and ensures the shipping process works seamlessly. This is a major contributor to providing reliable logistics services for customers behind the scenes.
Delivering Reliability, Nationwide and Beyond
The bottom line is that e-commerce brands can not only achieve reliable delivery beyond the mainland but also turn it into a strategic advantage. By pairing ProShip’s advanced, automated shipping software with International Bridge’s Non-Con logistics solution, retailers can increase their reach and resilience, positioning their brand to promise true nationwide coverage with timely, affordable, and reliable delivery anywhere in the US.
Ready to simplify shipping beyond the mainland?
Learn how ProShip x International Bridge partner to accelerate your e-commerce shipping with seamless integration, delivery to hard-to-reach US areas, and reliable and affordable parcel solutions.
About ProShip
ProShip, the industry-leading multi-carrier shipping software solution, allows high-volume enterprise shippers to automate carrier service optimization (rate shopping), and easily build and manage complex business rules all within one carrier-agnostic system. ProShip seamlessly integrates with your existing WMS, OMS, ERP systems, and other automation processes, scaling as your business grows. With both on-platform and private cloud hosting deployment options, ProShip empowers enterprise shippers to streamline complex workflows, maintain carrier compliance, decrease IT dependency through continuous updates, and find a quick ROI. Trusted by leading brands, ProShip is the last shipping software you’ll ever need. Visit www.proshipinc.com to learn more.
