1) Introduction
Efficiency is one of the key elements to running a successful ecommerce business. Your order fulfillment and the platform backend have to work in sync to create, manifest and fulfill orders in a smooth, efficient manner. Only then, will you be able to grow and scale your business, and retain customers through a seamless shopping experience. The software field has made significant advancements that allow you to use software platforms to ease the development and operations of an ecommerce business.
As an ecommerce business, you will primarily need the services of two types of software – a website development and management platform and a shipping management/fulfillment platform. However, if you are a new business that is still testing the waters, it can be difficult for you to afford the services of both software.
To make this decision easier for you, we will compare platforms from both categories – Narvar and Shopify. You can then make an informed decision about the choice you want to make after weighing the pros and cons.
2) About Narvar
Narvar is a shipping and delivery management software that seeks to improve the post-purchase customer experience of the online shopper. Narvar provides shipping services out of its offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. Over 250 people work for Narvar delivering over 7 billion orders every single year. It was established in 2012 and has since then served over 125 million customers all across the world. Narvar is one of the more popular shipping platforms used by eCommerce companies worldwide.
3) Key Services of Narvar
Narvar is a customer experience management software that allows you to offer a quality shopping experience and post-purchase experience to your customers. Some of the components of the software that enable you to do this are:
3.1) Shipping Automation and Management
Narvar uses an intelligent carrier integration that allows you to display accurate estimated delivery dates with its courier partner. Studies have shown that the EDD is a key feature in improving conversion rates on an ecommerce platform. Along with this, the software allows you to offer multiple delivery methods and configure the shipping rules to enable automation of the shipping process.
3.2) Shipment Tracking
Order tracking is one of the most essential components of the post-purchase experience for the modern customer. Narvar allows you to elevate this component to the next level by introducing branded tracking experiences. The platform also allows you to drive customer engagement through product recommendations resulting in increased revenue.
3.3) Order Notifications
Narvar helps you in driving customer engagement in the post-purchase journey by keeping in touch with the customers through notifications. This allows you to provide regular updates to your customers about their orders. At the same time, it also allows you to reengage the customers with your platform and products to improve your brand perception and revenue.
3.4) Narvar Returns and Exchanges
Ecommerce returns allow you to improve your conversion rate by allowing you to build customer trust. The returns and exchanges process has to be hassle-free. But, the irony is that processing a return is quite a hassle. That is why Narvar has a separate service dedicated to building seamless returns and exchange processes on your platform for the convenience of your business and its customers.
4) Features of Narvar
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Narvar partners with more than 300 carriers and logistics companies to deliver orders in 38 countries
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It has more than 1000 clients under its wide service umbrella.
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Narvar primarily offers 5 kinds of services, namely, Concierge, Ship, Track, Notify, and Return & Exchange.
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The Concierge feature is an in-store pickup, drop off, and return service where customers can choose to pick up or drop off their orders from the nearest integrated Walgreen shop.
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The Ship feature forecasts nearly accurate delivery dates and faster delivery with the use of proprietary software and a data-driven approach.
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Engage customers with a branded tracking page that gives amazon opportunities for cross-selling.
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Provide tracking updates to customers as soon as the order leaves the warehouse. Build customer loyalty with branded tracking updates on emails and SMS.
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Make returns management easy with faster refund processing, and home or in-store pickups.
Pros:
Narvar is a great option for businesses looking to enhance the post-purchase customer experience.
Cons:
Adding on several shipping features can become very expensive in the long run.
5) About Shopify
Shopify is an eCommerce platform that empowers online entrepreneurs by providing them with a completely free-of-cost platform to build their online store. Shopify Shipping has grown from a group of 5 people to a massive workforce of over 5000 spread across the world. It has helped 1.7 million businesses by simplifying the process of selling things online.
6) Key Services of Shopify
Since Shopify is an ecommerce platform, the features and services are in a different vertical as compared to Narvar. However, Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce hosting platforms and has an app store with a plethora of apps that can make running an ecommerce business much easier.
6.1) Shopify POS System
The POS or Point of Sale system is a unified dashboard in the backend that allows you to create a storefront to sell your products on the internet. The POS system can be quite useful for both online and hybrid businesses, as it offers complete order management, for both online and in-store orders. A system is a great option for those who are looking to use the omnichannel strategy to optimize their fulfillment operations
6.2) SEO-assistance
As an online business, SEO will essentially determine the traction and revenue for your business. Shopify has some inbuilt unique SEO tools that allow you to improve the SEO for your website so that more customers see your website when they search for something related to your product or service. This also helps you in reducing the hassle of having to use multiple tools to determine and optimize your website for search engines.
6.3) Drop Shipping Platform
Shopify has dedicated services that enable drop shippers to handle their business with ease. Drop shipping businesses are usually run by a single individual or a small group of individuals that bring products to market for customers that are not readily available. Shopify has multiple apps on its app stores that make it easier for merchants to conduct their business.
6.4) Analytics
Insights are the key to unlocking the true potential of your business. Shopify has an elaborate analytics dashboard for its users that enables them to take a deep dive into the performance of their store. The analytic dashboard will help you track everything from customer behavior to Sales and Marketing performances.
6.5) Abandoned Cart Reminders
Shopify has a special feature that allows you to reduce your cart abandonment. The platform allows you to set up reminders and emails to the customers that have unpurchased items in their carts. This allows you to reengage a customer and incentivize them to complete their incomplete purchase. You will also be able to gauge the pain points in the customer’s shopping experience and cater your shopping experience to the customer’s needs.
7) Features of Shopify
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Shopify can also ship orders for eCommerce companies via carrier integrations with UPS, USPS, DHL, Sendle, and Canada Post.
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Manage your everyday logistics workflow with Shopify’s single dashboard integration that allows businesses to manage orders, carriers, etc. from one place.
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Buy postage from the Shopify website and print shipping labels directly at your home before shipping.
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Track all your packages with tracking integrations with carriers that keep updating the order status on their tracking portal.
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Avail insurance on all your shipments easily from the Shopify platform.
Pros:
Shopify’s interface is extremely user-friendly and the onboarding time is negligible.
Cons:
The number of carriers on offer is very limited.
Price:
Shopify itself is free of cost. However, you may check out the shipping rates offered by various carriers on the Shopify website itself.
8) The Best Alternative to Narvar and Shopify
Narvar and Shopify are excellent options when it comes to building a shopping experience for your customers. But, Narvar lacks experience in building features while Shopify lacks shipping management features. If you do not have the budget to get both of these software, one of the best alternatives in the market is ClickPost.
ClickPost is a shipping and customer experience management software that enables you to have access to crucial features. The software has an AI-enabled courier-recommended engine that automates your shipping process for you. On the other hand, features like real-time order tracking, Notifications, and NDR Management allow you to take your customer experience to a whole new level.
9) Conclusion
Customer experience is the main determinant of your success as an ecommerce business. With the variety of products available in the market, you will be able to differentiate yourself from the competition through a seamless customer experience.
Narvar and Shopify are excellent platforms that have their advantages. If you are looking to choose either one of them as a partner for your ecommerce business, the above in-depth analysis will help you make a better decision. However, if you have a doubt if they are the best ecommerce platforms in the market for your budget, you can take a look at other platforms like ClickPost that combine the best of both.
10) FAQs
10.1) What is the main difference between Narvar and Shopify?
Answer: Narvar and Shopify are both platforms that enable you to manage your ecommerce store. The major difference between these platforms is that Narvar focuses on the post-purchase experience of the platform. On the other hand, Shopify allows you to create a storefront on its platform and improves the shopping experience of your customers.
10.2) Which is the Best Option Between ClickPost, Narvar, and Shopify?
Answer: To understand which is the best option between ClickPost, Narvar, and Shopify, first, it’s important to understand what features all 3 of these platforms offer and which services are crucial for your ecommerce business.
ClickPost is a SaaS logistics platform that uses A.I. and ML to automate shipping processes and provide faster delivery. ClickPost is exceptionally useful for businesses with high order volumes or ones that anticipate high order volumes in the near future because of their business growth rate. ClickPost also comes in handy when ecommerce companies find themselves swamped with orders during peak seasons, sales or festivals.
Narvar and Shopify are hard to pit against because they belong to different niches. Narvar is a shipping platform whereas Shopify is an ecommerce platform. Still, both of these companies provide shipping services to online businesses. Narvar is great for post-purchase customer experience, managing returns, etc.
Shopify is great for no-fuss shipping that happens right from the Shopify platform. Shopify is also more accessible for users because it’s available on various platforms like mobile apps, websites, etc. But neither of these platforms is the ideal choice for a rapidly growing business. If you are looking at scaling up, ClickPost is the ideal platform for you.