كيف تتعامل مع ارتفاع تكاليف الشحن داخل المملكة

Sahl Monday,30 Jun 2025

1. High shipping costs... a daily challenge for store owners
Many e-commerce store owners in the Kingdom face a real challenge: how to provide fast and efficient shipping without impacting their profit margin? Especially since fuel prices, delivery fees, and orders from distant areas all raise the final bill.
2. Know the reason before you start addressing it
Before you try to reduce costs, it's essential to understand the reasons behind your high shipping costs. Some common reasons include:
• Shipping each order individually without consolidation
• Working with a shipping company with high fixed rates
• Sending shipments from an area far from customers
• Lack of a clear shipping policy
3. Smart solutions and tactics to reduce shipping costs
(1) Negotiate with more than one shipping company
Don't rely on just one company. Try contacting more than one local company (such as SMSA, Zajil, Naqel, Aramex) and compare prices by region, especially if you have a large number of monthly orders.
(2) Use pick-up points
Some customers prefer to pick up from nearby locations instead of home delivery, which saves you the entire shipping cost or significantly reduces it.
(3) Combined Delivery
If you have many orders from the same city or neighborhood, you can arrange for combined shipping once or twice a day, instead of sending each order separately.
(4) Minimum Order Requirements with Free Shipping
Instead of adding high shipping fees to each order, try offering free shipping for orders above a certain amount. This increases the value of the basket and covers the delivery costs.
(5) Use Nearby Distribution Centers
If possible, try to have a distribution center or warehouse in high-demand areas, such as Riyadh or Jeddah. This reduces shipping distances, time, and costs.
4. Do you share the cost with the customer?
Some stores pass a portion of the shipping cost onto the customer, but this requires balance. The price must be reasonable and not cause the customer to hesitate before completing the order.
5. How do you compensate the customer for the shipping cost?
Even if you have to raise your shipping costs slightly, try to compensate the customer with an attractive offer such as:
• A symbolic gift
• A discount code for the next order
• Special packaging
• Guaranteed speedy delivery
High shipping costs are a real challenge, but with smart planning, negotiation, and flexible strategies, you can manage them without losing customers or harming your profits. The most important thing is to always review your costs and find the best ways to serve your customers at the lowest possible cost.
If you're working on developing your store and need shipping solutions that suit you, you can contact a specialized team to help you choose the most appropriate for your budget and customers within the Kingdom.