For eCommerce brands looking to reduce costs and environmental impact, multi-carrier shipping offers a practical solution. Rather than relying on a single delivery provider, this approach lets you select the best carrier for each order based on factors like destination, speed requirements, and carbon footprint.
The result? More efficient deliveries, lower emissions, and better value for money.
This guide explains how multi-carrier shipping works, why it matters for sustainable eCommerce, and what to consider when building a greener delivery strategy.
What Is Multi-Carrier Shipping?
Multi-carrier shipping is a logistics strategy where businesses use more than one delivery provider to fulfil orders. Instead of committing exclusively to one courier, you compare rates, transit times, and service levels across multiple carriers, then select the most suitable option for each shipment.
A multi-carrier shipping software or multi-carrier platform connects your order management system to several carriers through a single interface. This allows you to:
- Compare prices and delivery times automatically
- Print labels for different carriers from one dashboard
- Track all shipments in one place, regardless of which carrier handles them
- Set rules to assign specific carriers based on order weight, destination, or service type
For UK eCommerce brands, this might mean using a regional courier for local next-day deliveries, a national provider like DPD or Evri for standard parcels, and a specialist international carrier for EU or global orders.
How Multi-Carrier Shipping Works
The process is straightforward once your systems are connected:
- Order received: A customer places an order through your website, marketplace, or sales channel.
- Automatic comparison: Your multi-carrier software pulls in the order details (weight, dimensions, destination, required delivery speed) and compares available options across your connected carriers.
- Carrier selection: Once pick and pack is complete, the system selects the best carrier for that specific order. Based on rules you’ve set, this might prioritise cost, speed, sustainability credentials, or a combination of all three.
- Label generation: The software generates the correct shipping label and any customs documentation needed.
- Collection and dispatch: The carrier collects the parcel (or you drop it at a collection point), and tracking data flows back into your system automatically.
- Unified tracking: You and your customer can monitor the delivery through a single dashboard, regardless of which carrier is handling it.
This automation removes manual comparison and data entry, reducing errors and speeding up dispatch times.
Why Multi-Carrier Shipping Matters for Sustainable eCommerce
Most discussions about multi-carrier shipping focus on cost savings and delivery speed. Both matter, but there’s a third benefit that often gets overlooked: reduced environmental impact.
Smart carrier selection can meaningfully lower the carbon footprint of your fulfilment operation. Here’s how:
Shorter delivery routes: Choosing carriers with local depot networks means parcels travel fewer miles. A regional courier based near your customers will typically generate lower emissions than a national carrier routing packages through a distant hub.
Consolidated collections: Multi-carrier solutions enable you to batch orders by carrier and service type, reducing the number of collection vehicles visiting your warehouse or fulfilment centre.
Right-sized vehicles: Different carriers operate different fleet types. For urban deliveries, providers like Evri and DPD increasingly use electric vans, while others offer cargo bike options in city centres. Multi-carrier shipping lets you route city-centre orders to greener last-mile options.
Fewer failed deliveries: Offering customers a choice of carriers and delivery options (including click-and-collect or locker pickup) reduces the chance of missed deliveries. Each failed delivery attempt means another journey, another set of emissions.
Research from Sendcloud found that 54% of online shoppers now expect eco-friendly delivery options at checkout. Multi-carrier shipping makes it possible to offer those options without overhauling your entire logistics operation.
Key Benefits of a Multi-Carrier Approach
Beyond sustainability, multi-carrier shipping delivers several operational advantages for growing eCommerce brands.
Cost Optimisation
Different carriers price their services differently. Royal Mail might offer better rates for lightweight packets, while DPD could be more competitive on tracked next-day parcels. For international shipments, a specialist like DHL or UPS may undercut domestic carriers significantly.
By comparing options for each order, you avoid overpaying for delivery. Industry data suggests businesses using multi-carrier strategies typically reduce shipping costs by 10-20% compared to single-carrier agreements, simply by matching each parcel to the most cost-effective option.
Multi-carrier shipping software automates this comparison, applying rules you set to find the best value without manual intervention.
Improved Delivery Performance
No single carrier excels at everything. Royal Mail has strong coverage in rural areas but can be slower on tracked services. DPD offers reliable next-day delivery but may be pricier for lighter items. Evri provides competitive rates but has variable performance during peak periods.
A multi-carrier strategy lets you match each order to the carrier best equipped to handle it. This improves on-time delivery rates and reduces customer service queries about delayed shipments.
Greater Flexibility and Resilience
Relying on one carrier creates a single point of failure. Industrial action, capacity constraints, or service disruptions can leave you unable to fulfil orders.
With multiple carriers available, you can redirect volume quickly if one provider runs into problems. This proved especially valuable during peak periods like Black Friday and the post-Christmas returns surge, when carrier networks often operate at capacity.
Better Customer Experience
Today’s online shoppers expect options. Some want next-day delivery; others prefer a specific time slot or a local collection point.
Multi-carrier shipping allows you to present a range of delivery choices at checkout, letting customers select what works for them. This flexibility can improve conversion rates and reduce basket abandonment.
What to Look for in Multi-Carrier Shipping Software
Choosing the right multi-carrier platform is essential. The best multi-carrier shipping software should offer:
Wide carrier coverage: Look for solutions that integrate with UK carriers like Royal Mail, DPD, Evri, Yodel, and Parcelforce, as well as international providers such as DHL, UPS, and FedEx.
Easy integration: The platform should connect with your existing eCommerce systems, whether that’s Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, or a warehouse management system.
Automation capabilities: Manual carrier selection doesn’t scale. The software should let you set rules that automatically assign carriers based on order attributes like weight, value, destination, or required delivery speed.
Unified tracking: A good multi-carrier solution consolidates tracking data into one dashboard, with updates visible to both your team and your customers.
Reporting and analytics: Understanding your shipping performance helps identify opportunities to reduce costs and emissions.
Making Multi-Carrier Work for Greener Fulfilment
Implementing a multi-carrier strategy is one step. Optimising it for sustainability requires a bit more thought.
Audit your current carriers: Start by understanding the environmental credentials of your existing delivery partners. Do they operate electric vehicles? What are their carbon reporting practices? Look for fulfilment partners with verified environmental commitments, such as B Corp certification, who can demonstrate how their carrier choices support lower emissions.
Prioritise regional carriers where possible: Local couriers often have shorter delivery routes and smaller vehicles than national networks. For orders within a defined radius of your fulfilment centre, a regional provider may be faster, cheaper, and greener.
Offer consolidated delivery options: Encouraging customers to select slower delivery windows (where orders can be batched and routed more efficiently) reduces per-parcel emissions. Some brands now offer incentives for customers who choose “green” delivery slots.
Use data to refine your approach: Track delivery performance and emissions data by carrier. Over time, you can adjust your routing rules to favour providers that consistently deliver on both service and sustainability metrics.
Consider your fulfilment partner’s role: If you work with a 3PL, their carrier relationships and shipping practices affect your environmental footprint. Ask about their multi-carrier capabilities and how they select carriers for different order types.
FAQs
What does multi-carrier shipping mean?
Multi-carrier shipping is a logistics approach where businesses use multiple delivery providers rather than a single carrier. Orders are assigned to different couriers based on factors like cost, speed, destination, and service requirements.
How can multi-carrier shipping reduce carbon emissions?
By selecting carriers with local networks, greener vehicle fleets, or more efficient routing, you can reduce the miles each parcel travels. Offering customers alternative delivery options (like locker pickup) also cuts failed delivery attempts and repeat journeys.
What is multi-carrier shipping software?
Multi-carrier shipping software is a platform that connects your order management system to multiple carriers through a single interface. It automates rate comparison, label printing, and tracking across all your delivery providers.
Is multi-carrier shipping suitable for small eCommerce businesses?
Yes. Many multi-carrier platforms are designed for SMEs, with pay-as-you-go pricing and integrations for popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce. You don’t need high volumes to benefit from carrier comparison and automation.
How does multi-carrier shipping improve delivery reliability?
Using multiple carriers reduces dependence on any single provider. If one carrier experiences delays or capacity issues, you can redirect orders to alternatives, maintaining service levels for your customers.
