Shipments can belong in a port, holding area, depot, or other locations. Whichever one houses your package, the meaning of “awaiting shipment” rarely changes.
Awaiting shipment means that your package has passed all inspections and is just waiting to be picked up. This is usually the case when the designated carrier is yet to pick up the package or it has not arrived at the carrier’s station.
While this wait should only last a few hours, unexpected circumstances can keep your shipment waiting for days.
On the other hand, shipments out of a port or holding area get a unique tracking number accessible by the shipper and the consignee. This ID helps both parties to identify unnecessary delays and seek resolution promptly.
Aside from helping you know what awaiting shipment means, this guide will walk you through how general shipment works and how to deal with delays. It will also share 3 effective hacks on how to accelerate the process.
Understanding How Package Delivery Works
Once you place an order and pay for a product or item on an e-commerce store, such a product undergoes processing for fulfillment before shipment and delivery.
Here is a breakdown of the various processes shipments undergo before they get to you:
1. Submitted for fulfillment
This is the action that should follow a successful order. “Submitted for fulfillment” status means your item has been sent to your preferred fulfillment center for processing.
2. Awaiting fulfillment
Upon arrival, your package will join other packages that need to be processed. This is the “Awaiting Fulfilment” stage.
While this stage often gets confused with awaiting shipment, they are different.
3. Awaiting shipment
Once your package undergoes the necessary inspection and fulfills all processing criteria, it is endorsed for shipping.
How long this process takes and when the vessel containing your shipment moves represents the “awaiting shipment” period.
Also, you may fail to notice when your order’s status transitions from awaiting fulfillment to shipping. It is very normal when processing is fast.
4. Shipped
“Shipped” means your package is already on its way to you. In other words, a logistics company is now in control of the process, and you can now track the package using the ID provided by the courier.
Please note that deliveries may occur in bits for “partial shipping” (buying more than one different product).
5. Delivered
This is where all the anxiety goes away. You would likely get a call from the courier in charge of your package to prepare you for its delivery.
You may also need to provide a means of identification before the package is released to you.
If for some reason, your order status reads “delivered” without you receiving any package, please reach out to the courier’s customer care.
How Businesses Address Awaiting Shipment Delays
When a package is awaiting shipment longer than it should be, there are ways to address it:
Contact customer service
The first step to take is to reach out to the shipping company’s customer service. To do this, go to the company’s official website and speak with any of their agents or drop an email.
Your conversation or email should narrate the status of your shipment and ask questions about when the package will be shipped. You should also provide the order number or tracking ID if you already have them.
Customer communication
After speaking with the shipping company’s helpline or receiving feedback to your email, you should update your customer with the reason(s) why their package is still awaiting shipment.
You should also provide an estimated arrival time for the product and promise to offer discounts on current or future purchases just to pacify them.
Track orders in real-time
To be ahead of your customers, you should actively track all orders in real-time. This way, you offer resolutions and refunds to customers before they become impatient.
Take full responsibility
If your buyer has already complained about your service on social media, it is best to take full responsibility and offer a formal (public) apology.
Proceed by sending a private message to the customer about why the shipment is experiencing a delay and providing possible solutions.
3 Effective Ways You Can Increase Shipping Speed for Your Package
1. Do more same-day picking
When a customer places an order, if you have a process that lets you pick up the inventory or package and schedule it with your courier that same day, it improves shipping speed.
In other words, the longer it takes to receive a package and place it under a courier determines how quickly that package gets shipped.
Nevertheless, providing an estimated shipping timeframe for your customer and a tracking ID is safer.
2. Have multiple warehouses
Owning different warehouses in strategic locations is another way to improve the shipping for your products and cover more pin codes.
Alternatively, you can choose to partner with other e-commerce warehouse providers. The logic of this system is simple. Every area has several geographical zones.
Picking a strategic spot in these zones increases your chance of being closer to your customer’s destination. With time, you won’t have to worry much about the cost of logistics.
3. Always prepare for peak seasons
Festive periods constantly feature discounts in the e-commerce space. When this happens, you can expect an influx of orders, which may result in busy timelines and immense pressure if you are unprepared.
The best ways to prepare for peak seasons are to increase manpower and get resources such as inventory software (to automate processes) and third-party logistics experts to help with inventory or logistical processing decisions.
Hence, when these orders start pouring in, there are enough resources to cope and keep most (if not all) of your customers happy.
FAQs
When you receive a shipment, what will you do first?
You have to check the delivery receipt for the consignee’s name and address and check the freight to confirm it is the same as the receipt.
You should also look at the label on each item to be sure it is your shipment.
What comes after awaiting fulfillment?
Once your shipment awaits fulfillment, it gets a shipment number and is ready for shipping.
What is the fastest type of shipping?
UPS, FedEx, USPS, and DHL all offer same-day delivery, which is the best anyone can expect.
Conclusion
When a customer places an order and completes payment, the status of such an order automatically changes to “awaiting fulfillment.” Your payment has been received, and shipping processes have begun.
Once all the shipping processes are complete, the product will join other packages ready for shipping. This waiting period is when the status of your order should change from “awaiting fulfillment” to “awaiting shipment.”
Immediately your package gets out of the holding area, the sender and receiver of the package should already have a tracking ID to monitor the progress of their package.
I hope you found this guide helpful. Perhaps you would like to know how fast Amazon shipments are, check out my guide on if Amazon packages arrive early.
Thank you for reading.
