100,000+ E-commerce Merchants Can Now Select Via.Delivery as a ShipStation Carrier to Seamlessly Send Orders to Local Pickup Locations Across the U.S.
Via.Delivery, the next-generation technology company transforming the U.S. shipping and delivery market by creating the country’s largest BOPA network, announced a new integration with ShipStation, the leading web-based order management and shipping software provider. The new partnership between the two logistics technology companies adds Via.Delivery as a certified digital carrier on ShipStation’s platform, expanding access to Via.Delivery’s Buy Online, Pickup Anywhere (BOPA) network to every ShipStation user. Now, more than 100,000 ShipStation users can offer their customers the option of having packages delivered to commercial retail locations for convenient pickup, seamlessly managing those shipments from within ShipStation’s system.
“Partnering with ShipStation as a digital carrier is one of several new ways we are expanding access to our BOPA network and making it easier for pure play e-commerce vendors to give online shoppers more shipping choices,” said Mitchell Nikitin, CEO and co-founder of Via.Delivery. “For online brands, being able to offer customers an alternate delivery option such as BOPA, directly from the order management software they currently use and like, is exciting. Now, offering a less expensive delivery option to a local commercial pickup point is as simple as offering home delivery within ShipStation.”
“For online brands, being able to offer customers an alternate delivery option such as BOPA, directly from the order management software they currently use and like, is exciting,” Mitchell Nikitin, CEO and co-founder of Via.Delivery.
Via.Delivery is the first and only solution on ShipStation’s platform that enables merchants to create a compliant shipping label within the system for delivery to these local, commercial pickup locations. The process of preparing packages within ShipStation is the same with Via.Delivery as it is with any another carrier. ShipStation’s software enables users to choose their carrier, print a label, manage shipping communications, track packages and manage any other necessary tasks to provide a positive experience for customers.
Via.Delivery’s BOPA network includes more than 21,000 local commercial pickup locations across the U.S., and more than a third of those are U.S. locations inside pharmacies, grocery stores, gas stations or convenience stores. The Via.Delivery network also includes hold locations, where consumers can choose to have their deliveries stored securely and free for up to five days.
Via.Delivery has observed a recent uptick in the number of e-commerce merchants that want to add BOPA shipping options — which can help minimize shopping cart abandonment, drive sales conversions, promote sustainability and reduce customer service needs and stolen package claims. As more online merchants offer BOPA options, consumer interest also increases. Via.Delivery is meeting the growing demand by making it easier for consumers to use reputable, widely known retail and delivery provider sites to pick up their online purchases.
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“Via.Delivery analyzed thousands of customer e-commerce transactions and found consumers are becoming more open to using BOPA when shopping online,” said Nikitin. “Given the option, nearly 1 in 5 shoppers select shipping to a local commercial pickup location at checkout. This marks a shift in consumer preference.”
U.S. consumers who have used an alternative delivery method cite cost savings and the added security of delivery to a commercial location as top reasons for choosing BOPA. As fuel costs and shipping surcharges increase, and thefts by porch pirates continue to cause headaches for both online merchants and their customers, BOPA’s popularity could grow even more. In anticipation of that, Via.Delivery is making strategic moves to further grow and increase access to its network and will be announcing other new integrations in the next few months.
“The momentum behind BOPA and Via.Delivery’s network is growing steadily. The market is right, and consumers are ready and eager to take advantage of the benefits of shipping to alternative delivery locations,” Nikitin said.