How Small Merchants Can Implement OnTrac Ground Essentials

For small merchants, implementing OnTrac Ground Essentials can be a straightforward way to improve delivery speed and control shipping costs. This entry walks beginners through practical steps and beginner-friendly best practices to onboard the service, configure daily workflows, and scale without unnecessary complexity.

Step 1: Decide if OnTrac Ground Essentials fits your business

• Identify order geography: If a large share of orders goes to OnTracs service area, Ground Essentials may improve transit times and reduce costs versus national ground tiers.
• Estimate parcel profiles: Review typical weights, dimensions, and order values. Low-density or heavy products will behave differently for pricing and packaging needs.

Step 2: Create an account and choose integration options

• Account setup: Sign up with the carrier directly or through a shipping aggregator. Provide business details, tax information, and pickup preferences.
• Integrations: Choose between manual label creation via the carrier portal, using a multi-carrier shipping platform, or integrating with your e-commerce platform/WMS via API. For beginners, starting with the carrier portal or a simple shipping app is often easiest.

Step 3: Establish simple packing and labeling standards

• Standardize box sizes: Use a small set of box sizes to reduce packing time and help forecast dimensional weight charges.
• Weigh and measure accurately: Even rudimentary scales and a tape measure ensure correct billing and fewer exceptions.
• Label clarity: Ensure each label includes a scannable barcode, complete addresses, and any special handling instructions. Keep labels flat and unobstructed on the largest package face.

Step 4: Define pickup and drop-off workflows

• Scheduled pickups: Arrange regular pickups if volume justifies them; otherwise, plan daily drop-offs to the nearest facility. Consistency improves carrier performance.
• Batching: Group shipments by carrier and pickup windows to minimize missed pickups and expedite processing.

Step 5: Create a simple pricing policy for customers

• Flat-rate vs. calculated: Decide whether to offer flat-rate shipping for simplicity or pass through calculated rates for accuracy. Many beginners use free shipping thresholds or tiered flat rates to keep checkout simple.
• Communicate expectations: Display estimated transit times and tracking information clearly so customers know what to expect.

Step 6: Use tracking and customer communication

• Automate tracking emails: Send automated notifications when the shipment is picked up, in transit, and delivered. Positive communication reduces customer inquiries.
• Provide easy support paths: Have a clear returns and claims process for lost or damaged shipments to resolve issues quickly.

Step 7: Monitor performance and optimize

• Track key metrics: Monitor on-time delivery, transit exceptions, chargebacks, and average shipping cost per order. Small changes to packaging or carrier selection often yield noticeable savings.
• Review carrier invoices: Reconcile bills against expected rates to catch billing errors or unexpected surcharges.

Practical tips and beginner-friendly hacks

• Start small: Begin with a pilot period—ship a subset of orders via OnTrac Ground Essentials to validate transit times and customer feedback.
• Keep documentation simple: A one-page SOP (standard operating procedure) for packing, labeling, and pickups helps prevent mistakes when onboarding staff.
• Negotiate when possible: Even small merchants can sometimes improve terms by consolidating volume or committing to regular pickup schedules.
• Use protective yet efficient packaging: Avoid oversized boxes that increase DIM weight; use void fill for protection rather than larger cartons.

Example workflow for a small clothing retailer:

1. Order received and printed automatically from e-commerce platform.
2. Picker retrieves items and places them in a standardized box size.
3. Package is weighed and measured; label printed via carrier portal or integrated app selecting OnTrac Ground Essentials.
4. Package staged with same-carrier shipments for scheduled pickup at end of day.
5. Customer receives automated email with tracking; merchant monitors delivery for exceptions.

Adopting OnTrac Ground Essentials doesnt require complex infrastructure. With clear steps—assessing fit, creating an account, standardizing packaging and labels, setting pickup workflows, and monitoring performance—small merchants can reliably improve delivery speed and cost without becoming shipping experts. Start with a small pilot, document simple procedures, and iterate based on measured results to scale successfully.