List of 10 Best Shipping or Courier Aggregator for eCommerce Business

Overview of Shipping/Logistics/Courier Aggregators for Online Sellers in Detail

Every entrepreneur and working professional dreams of watching their e-commerce venture take off like a rocket. Every day begins and ends with the hope of a big breakthrough, i.e., a sudden influx of orders. But as the age-old adage warns, “Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.”

When the dream comes true, you find yourself handling a much higher volume of orders with the same resources in a limited time. And that’s just not going to cut it. So you need to find a quick source that will help you meet the rising demand with minimal effort. Enter the shipping aggregator.

Shipping aggregators (also known as logistics or courier aggregators) are the 3rd party logistics providers (3PLs) that bring several different carriers on a single platform. They provide eCommerce businesses quick access to shipping companies in India. Shipping aggregators came into existence intending to simplify pricing and payment plans based on the number of monthly orders.

The major benefit of tying up with a logistics aggregator instead of independent courier partners is that it saves time and effort. While it is advisable to determine the right courier partner fit based on your shipping strategy. However, business requirements and a sudden surge in orders may not accord you the required time.

A logistics and shipping aggregator allows you to tie up with multiple shipping companies quickly and with minimal effort. The criteria are based on core needs like low costs and wide pin code reach. Moreover, you get a varied selection of shipping partners, quick access to pan-India pin codes, multiple payment plans, and value-added services. 

Shipping aggregators facilitate cash-on-delivery, express or hyperlocal delivery, same-day or next-day deliveries, and real-time order tracking. In today's fast-paced world, selecting the best shipping and tracking software is crucial for any eCommerce company.

You must check all the necessary criteria in detail before finalizing the right courier aggregator for your eCommerce business. The below list of the best shipping aggregators in India has been prepared after an in-depth review and research process. 

What is a Logistics or Shipping Aggregator?

Logistics aggregators are companies that partner with multiple courier companies preemptively. They make integrations with multiple shipping companies faster for Ecommerce companies in India. Though some eCommerce aggregators have existed for nearly a decade, it was just a few years back that more of these companies began to crop up.

As more people in India turned toward the online shopping experience, e-commerce companies needed a middleman to straighten the logistics process.  Courier aggregators play that role and help you sustain operations to determine your long-term action plan.

List of Top 10+ Best Courier Aggregators in India for eCommerce Business

The eCommerce logistics industry uses two major types of aggregators: Shipping aggregators and transportation aggregators. Numerous transportation aggregators are spread across the country, helping carriers and 3PL companies rent trucks for bulk transportation. 

Shipping aggregators, however, play a more operational role and assist e-commerce companies in tying up with 3PL companies and carriers. Chances are you will choose a shipping aggregator to fulfill your customer's order if you have just started your online business or wish to expand fast. While some smaller aggregators operate solely within certain locations, these are the major shipping aggregators operating pan-India:-

1. eCourierz 

ECourierz is a top-rated shipping aggregator in India with a wide area reach that has been operating for half a decade. While they maintain relatively efficient serviceability, they are especially well known for completing deliveries to foreign countries. Most of their clients ship internationally at competitive rates and use their safety standards.

2. iThink Logistics 

iThink Logistics is quickly rising in the ranks as the star of the logistics aggregation industry. Most customers find their services exceptionally good, given their reasonable shipping rates. They have a reputation for responding to escalations on time.

This courier aggregator does not have a minimum volume requirement. They also charge for each shipment following certain parameters instead of a monthly rate. Their NDR (Non-Delivery Report) management provides regular updates and NDR reports.

3. Pickrr 

Pickrr is a popular logistics provider in the e-Commerce industry currently. It specially offers speedy delivery to even the most remote locations in India. That being said, customers in metro cities frequently struggle with delivering incorrect products and delayed deliveries.

Pickrr offers discounted rates depending on the volume of orders being handled per month. Less than 1000 orders per month have a shipping cost of Rs.29. For 1000 to 5000 orders, the price is Rs.26 each, and for greater volumes, it is Rs.22 per order. It is also integrated with Shopify, Unicommerce, Magento, and other major marketplaces.

4. Rocketbox 

RocketBox is another eCommerce aggregator that works with few courier partners yet maintains serviceability across many areas. Their most well-liked feature is their rate calculator, which has enabled e-commerce businesses to determine their profit margins in advance.

Alongside its competitors like Ship Rocket and iThink Logistics, Rocketbox also maintains an AI-driven recommendation engine to allocate the appropriate courier partner for each shipment. They are often lauded for the transparency of their billing system and unified tracking mechanism.

5. ShipDroid 

ShipDroid doesn’t have as wide a reach as many of its competitors as it has integrated with fewer courier partners. However, it has remained a popular aggregator because of its account management system and dashboard, which enable e-tailers to analyze their sales and get real-time tracking for orders efficiently.

Shipments can be made via air, rail, or road with this courier aggregator following their automatic allocation engine. They have no minimum requirement on the number of orders placed through them per month, which makes them an excellent and cheap option for smaller e-commerce companies.

6. ShipKaro 

ShipKaro is the next company in this list of best shipping aggregators that provides extremely reasonable rates for bulk orders and drop shipping. However, despite the fluidity of their shipping operations, their returns management system leaves much to be desired.

This particular aggregator has a standard rate of Rs.32/500 gms. While their Individual plan is free, it does not allow for bulk order uploads or analytic reports to be provided, and it limits the number of carriers you can use.

The Business Plan and the Enterprise Plan, priced respectively at Rs.1499/month and Rs.2999/month, offer a wider range of services and access to courier partners.

7. ShipRocket 

ShipRocket is currently among the largest shipping aggregator in India. Customer reviews indicate that the tracking platform enables ease of operations, and the dashboard covers an exhaustive list of parameters for analysis. However, some have complained about customer service being unresponsive and prolonged delays in COD reconciliation.

ShipRocket provides customers with three payment plans depending on the serviceability, marketplace integrations, and support required. The first is the Lite plan which offers single integration at Rs. 29/500 gms.

The most popular is the Professional plan, the going rate for which is Rs. 23/500 gms and offers multiple marketplace integrations and international shipping. For those e-commerce companies that have customer requirements, the Enterprise plan is made available.

8. ShipYaari 

ShipYaari is another major aggregator for eCommerce shipping that takes the cake in terms of trust and customer loyalty, largely because they are equipped to handle large volumes of orders at competitive prices.

That being said, many customers have been disappointed by the lack of communication with the customer support team, despite having made multiple modes of communication like via phone, email, and WhatsApp.

As mentioned above, Shipyaari offers fast delivery and COD and express COD. They are integrated with seven online marketplaces, including Amazon, Shopify, Magento, and Woo-Commerce.

They offer an Advanced Plan and a Pro-Plan at Rs.2120 and Rs.4235, respectively, giving you access to their services. For infant companies, their Start-Up plan comes at no initial cost.

9. Shyplite 

Shyplite provides easy and efficient shipping aggregation services at relatively low prices. Customers often laud them for their extremely receptive and effective customer support team and their AI (Artificial Intelligence)-generated recommendation engine. Shyplite charges you per shipment based on size, weight, and delivery location.

10. Silver Arrow Shipping 

Silver Arrow Logistics uses advanced AI-driven technology to use RFID tags in logistics. These tags use radiofrequency tech to supply real-track tracking data to the aggregator and e-commerce companies. Silver Arrow uses I0T (Internet of Things) to determine possible safety risks during transportation and, like many other aggregators, uses AI to allocate orders to appropriate carriers.

11. Vamaship

Vamaship is the last courier aggregator on this list and provides easy access to courier partners with a wide reach through quick and inexpensive onboarding. However, Vamaship is not known for efficiently communicating with its courier partners or fulfilling remittance cycles within the required time frame.

This eCommerce logistics aggregator handles both forward and reverse logistics. Another specialized service they offer is QC (quality check) for returning orders to ensure the correct and undamaged item has been handed over. They provide website integrations with four major e-commerce CMS, including Shopify and Magento.

12. Nimbus Post

Nimbus Post is a multichannel shipping automation platform and eCommerce solutions provider based out of Gururgram, Haryana. They offer domestic and international shipping and warehousing facilities. They are integrated with leading domestic carriers like Gati Express, BlueDart, Delhivery, and Ekart.

Nimbus Post primarily serves B2C and B2B businesses to fulfill their shipping and delivery requirements. Their shipping software lets retailers compare carrier rates for 27 couriers, split inventory, and track packages. Moreover, they offer door-to-door delivery of air cargo for global shippers.

The company has private warehouse and fulfillment centers that securely store inventory, handle bulk shipments, and enable one-day deliveries. Their services help retailers reduce RTO (Return-to-Origin) percentages and save up to 30% on shipping costs.

13. Warel IQ

WarelIQ is a shipping and eCommerce fulfillment company. Its motto is to extend the Amazon-like delivery experience for companies in India. WarelIQ has multiple warehouses across the country, enabling them to store inventory near major urban centers. By managing and splitting inventory, retailers can offer same-day and next-day deliveries. 

Their shipping and logistics platform allows retailers to connect with carriers at discounted prices and generate bulk shipping labels. They also offer branded tracking pages, alert customers of order status, and manage cash-on-delivery remittances.

WarelIQ combines inventory and warehouse management workflow to handle order fulfillment effectively. Their software tracks inventory across multiple sales channels and replenish inventory when it runs low. They have fulfillment centers in major cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Delhi, and Ahmedabad.

14. ParcelDeck

ParcelDeck is a smart shipping solution and fast-growing courier aggregator based out of Bangalore, Karnataka. Their AI-driven recommendation system connects eCommerce store owners with national carriers. 

Once the order is packed with a shipping label, ParcelDeck collects it from the retailers and ships it to the preferred carrier company. In the meanwhile, they provide tracking updates in real time. Their shipping charge starts at 18 INR for 500 grams.

They offer three shipping options. In expedited shipping, parcels are delivered overnight or by the next day. For time-sensitive shipments and perishables, they offer air cargo freight. For large and heavy parcels, they offer the surface shipping service where shipments are shipped via road or water, whichever is cheaper.

15. Shippigo

Shippigo is an automated shipping service and courier aggregator catering to eCommerce companies, dropshippers, and manufacturers. They are integrated with over 16 leading national carriers and offer prepaid COD shipping to 24,000 pin codes. They also extend import services from 220 countries.

Shippigo’s platform lets merchants compare carrier rates and easy integrations with eCommerce marketplaces like Myntra and Amazon. They process bulk shipping batches, upto 1000 at one go. They offer pick-up warehousing solutions for businesses to conveniently fulfill orders.

When Do E-Commerce Companies Need a Shipping Aggregator?

With the fast growth of the eCommerce industry in the early 21st century, the requirement for a reliable shipping and logistics aggregation platform came into existence.

Courier aggregators in India have some disadvantages in the long run. However, for the early growth of any eCommerce business, the importance of choosing a top-rated logistics and courier aggregator becomes a necessity.

For an eCommerce company, when monthly order exceeds a limit (say 500+), tying up with the best shipping aggregator becomes crucial to fulfilling this customer requirement.

An eCommerce company needs logistics and courier aggregator software or platform for many purposes. Multi-carrier management, shipping & courier API, and fast, quick access to customer order information are crucial.

They are equally important for determining shipping charges, giving different payment options, and quickly selecting India's best eCommerce courier services provider companies.

How to Choose the Best Courier Aggregator for Your eCommerce Company?

But, like with courier partners, pricing and reach mark only the beginning of your needs. We’ll run you through an exhaustive list of possible criteria to consider when choosing a courier aggregator based on your needs. These include:-

1) Number of courier partners

Every logistics aggregator is integrated with multiple courier partners. That makes them a quick and easy solution when faced with a wave of orders to fulfill.

So if an aggregator offers more courier partners, it makes selecting a few easier. It is also important to remember that some courier aggregators choose the most reputable courier companies to carry out services. 

This comes with an upside and a downside. On the upside, an aggregator with fewer but highly reputed shipping partners will ensure that base shipping services are carried out efficiently. However, the downside is that you may miss out on less popular carriers that offer more niche services that are vital to the growth of the business.

It’s also worth noting that your relationship with a carrier will depend on the aggregator's relationship. So if that relationship goes south, your business could potentially be affected.

Nonetheless, suppose your main goal is first to fulfill orders and expand later simply. In that case, an aggregator with several courier partners tied up will make your job easier until you can integrate with multiple courier partners directly. 

2) Serviceability

The best way to up your order inflow is to open yourself up to newer, bigger, and better markets crowded with different demographics that could all benefit from the product/service your company offers.

So when you look at a shipping aggregator, it’s important to see what range of pin codes they serve. That isn’t to say an aggregator that services more areas will necessarily be what you need.

If you have a well-established base in major metro cities, then a Logistics aggregator may allow you to fulfill orders more efficiently in tier-1 and tier-II cities. Depending on the partners they’re tied up with, some may offer a greater or more varied range than others. This requires clarity on your part as to which regions require greater serviceability.

3) Shipping rates

One of the major reasons why most e-commerce businesses opt for logistics aggregators is that they sometimes offer low rates for fulfilling shipments. While this means transport costs may be reduced, additional fees can arise in other areas or for services not encompassed within the base fees.

These hidden costs can be for any number of things, including charges for COD (cash on delivery) coverage or fuel surcharges. The key is to be aware of your needs and the costs within which all those needs must be encompassed, hidden costs included.

4) COD (cash on delivery) Coverage

Despite many attempts to push India into a new age of cashless transactions, most Indian residents still prefer to use COD when making online purchases. This can be for several reasons.

Some prefer COD to establish trust with a new e-commerce business or online shopping. Others may have a fear of fraudulent transactions occurring or their financial information being stolen.

Either way, offering COD payment is the best way to ensure you don’t lose out on a whole array of end-users. Some courier aggregators may list COD coverage as a distinct service with a separate fee.

Further, not all courier partners with an aggregator may offer COD, so it’s vital to check the same. If your volume of COD orders is on the higher end, you can look for an aggregator that highlights it as one of the main services offered.

5) Delivery Speed

The average customer wants to receive their order within 3-5 days. In certain industries, however, faster delivery may still be required. Numerous online businesses are trying to expand their services to offer hyperlocal delivery, SDD (same-day delivery), and NDD (next-day delivery). Not all courier partners will be equipped for these express deliveries, and most offer them in specified areas.

You can tie up with multiple shipping companies that offer the same in different areas per your needs through a logistics aggregator. Some aggregators even specialize in express delivery.  Again, it is a question of determining to what extent you need this particular service, i.e., hyperlocal, SDD or NDD, and what are the most viable costs for the same.

6) Efficiency in Tracking

When we talk about efficiency in tracking, we must remember that most shipping partners and logistics aggregators maintain systems to enable e-commerce businesses to track their orders with multiple partners.

That being said, how efficient their tracking systems are is a different question. Visibility of orders is granted when an aggregator makes the optimal use of resources, more specifically, when they have advanced tech capabilities.

eCommerce Courier & Shipping API integrations can make the process of getting automated updates on the status of an order a quicker, more streamlined process. So it’s important to scope out their delivery tracking capabilities before signing up with an eCommerce aggregator.

7) Remittance Cycle

As any successful entrepreneur knows, it is vital to have money in the bank at any time. So when tying up with an aggregator, the remittance cycle they follow is an incredibly important factor.

Companies like ShipRocket and iThink Logistics have a regular remittance cycle of 7 days, while other aggregators maintain a 14-day remittance period. A longer remittance cycle can be useful as it acts as financial insurance.

However, it can also potentially affect your income flow. Having money in the bank frequently may be a greater priority if you are a new company than the security of receiving a higher sum at a later date. In the instantaneous and fast-paced world of e-commerce, the difference between one week and two weeks can be monumental.

8) RTO%

A higher volume of orders is always wonderful, but it also likely means a side-by-side increase in RTOs. A crucial mission that every e-commerce business is on is reducing their overall RTO%.

Some aggregators tie up with top eCommerce shipping partners or companies equipped to handle delivery exceptions and make multiple attempts to complete failed deliveries successfully. A few aggregators may even maintain their own NDR management systems, which can significantly bring down delivery exceptions.

9) NDR Management

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, NDR management plays a massive role in reducing RTO%. While courier partners may have their system for handling delivery exceptions, an aggregator with good technological capabilities is more effective.

The goal is for Non-Delivery Reports to be communicated to your business as soon as a delivery exception is reported. Accordingly, the customer can be contacted to determine the cause of failed delivery.

This not only gives the courier partner the information they need to complete the delivery but can also give you insight into how to reduce the likelihood of delivery exceptions.

For example, suppose there is a case where failed delivery is because the buyer was frustrated by the long delivery period where similar cases have occurred in that locale. In that case, express delivery may be a helpful tool to reduce delivery exceptions in that region. 

10) Security and Insurance

Some aggregators offer the option to insure products and orders before transit, so the value of the order will not be lost in case of any damage to the item. How this particular service is prioritized largely depends on the industry and products shipped by each e-commerce company.

This would be considered at the top of the list for any online merchant dealing in high-value or fragile goods. Insurance can ensure business avoids taking a double hit for the delivery exception, incurring a loss of order value and the loss of the item damaged in transit. The value of the item can still be recovered.

Some aggregators tie up with shipping partners that offer added security and protection for orders during shipment. This can come from vehicular insulation or more trained delivery professionals equipped to handle products more carefully. While it may not be a priority in certain industries, it can still help ensure that no products are damaged during transport.

Related Article:- List of Top 10 Best Magento Shipping Extensions for eCommerce Businesses

Final Concluding Note

When your eCommerce business reaches a certain order volume, higher than 1000 orders per month, it means you're entering the big leagues. However, this also means you need greater resources, like multiple shipping partners, to ensure all orders are fulfilled.

In these initial phases of managing high-order volumes, couriers, logistics, and shipping aggregators can help simplify your work.

You can choose the right courier partners based on serviceability and enjoy pre-negotiated shipping rates. However, your choice of courier aggregator is as important as your courier partner, as they will maintain control over your supply chain.

Different aggregators offer delivery services like fast COD reconciliation and efficient NDR management. Shipping aggregators can help boost your business to the top of the charts or unwittingly bring it down to the bottom of the ladder. Looking at the list of India's top logistics or courier aggregators, you get a clearer view of the right aggregator for you.

FAQs

1) What are shipping aggregators?

Shipping aggregators are companies that offer logistics solutions to businesses by bringing on board several pre-integrated carriers. Their purpose is to provide a unified platform for retailers to partner with multiple carriers. Aggregators then become the medium through which companies dispatch their shipments with carriers and track orders for the final delivery.

2) What are some of the popular shipping aggregators in India?

There is no dearth of shipping aggregators in India. They come with various service packages, have different payment plans, and handle different order volumes. However, we have found that ShipRocket, Pickrr, Shipyaari, iThink Logistics, and RocketBox are some of the popular choices among SMBs.