Partial shipping
What is partial shipping?
Partial shipping (also known as a partial shipment) is the process of fulfilling a single customer order through multiple deliveries, rather than sending all items together in one shipment.
This approach is commonly used when some products are available for immediate dispatch while others are out of stock, delayed, or stored in different warehouses. Instead of waiting until the entire order is ready, businesses can send available items first, allowing customers to receive part of their order sooner.
Partial shipping is commonly used by ecommerce retailers to improve delivery times and customer satisfaction.
Note: Partial shipping should not be confused with less-than-truckload (LTL) or partial truckload freight services, which refer to freight transportation methods rather than order fulfilment.
Why is Partial Shipping Important?
Partial shipping helps businesses provide a better customer experience by reducing waiting times for available products. It can be particularly valuable during periods of high demand, supply chain disruptions, or when products are fulfilled from multiple locations.
Benefits include:
- Faster delivery of available items.
- Improved customer satisfaction.
- Greater flexibility when managing stock across multiple warehouses.
- Reduced delays caused by backordered products.
Challenges of Partial Shipping
While partial shipping benefits customers, it can add complexity for retailers.
Businesses may need to:
- Track multiple shipments for a single order.
- Send separate dispatch notifications and tracking information.
- Manage multiple invoices or delivery records where required.
- Incur higher packaging and shipping costs.
- Consider the environmental impact of using additional packaging materials and transport.
To ensure a positive customer experience, businesses should clearly communicate when an order will be delivered in multiple shipments, explain the reason for the split delivery, and provide accurate tracking information for each parcel.
