Top 10 Best Courier Services In India 2022
How should you select a courier service provider when you begin to integrate with courier partners? There may be a flood of orders, but only the completion and customer satisfaction can measure success. A new system of logistics kicks into high gear after an order is placed to ensure that the parcel is delivered by air, road, or sea to the intended recipient.
The safety of a product in transit, the shipping route and delivery time are all factors that come into play when a product leaves a warehouse and reaches the customer. When it comes to improving customer experience, the right courier partner can make all the difference.
Over the past decade, the number of courier service providers in India that deliver customers’ requests on time has sharply increased thanks to the continuous evolution of the eCommerce industry. Delivering a shipment on time to the destination address is a challenge for any eCommerce company to deliver on time to the destination address.
In the current competitive market, eCommerce companies strive to provide good courier services that are hassle-free. With over 100+ courier service providers in India, the entire process becomes more challenging. They all claim that they are the best courier service in India for eCommerce.
To help eCommerce businesses solve this issue and find the best courier company or partner to satisfy their customers’ needs, Inventiva is here to assist you in any way possible. A proper review and research process was conducted to compile the below list of the top 10 best courier services provider companies.
For this exclusive list for eCommerce business enterprises, we evaluated metrics like delivery range & capacity, cargo weight, shipping costs, fast delivery of goods, RTO percentage, cash on delivery, courier delivery proof, and security.
Top 10 Best Courier Services in India 2022
The Indian courier industry is home to more than 120 companies that provide high-quality, cost-effective delivery services to small and medium-sized businesses and large eCommerce businesses.
Detailed information about these courier services can be found in the following post. According to the latest list, the ten best courier companies in India are here. Check them out and decide on the best shipping partner for your eCommerce business based on their services.
1. Aramex Courier Company
Having been acquired by Delhivery, Aramex operates in India as a UAE-based eCommerce courier service. The company, which has been providing express import and export services since 1997, is one of the best courier partners for international deliveries.
Domestic orders can also be shipped via express delivery by the company. Providing various services, including COD, co-packaging, bulk orders, and seamless order tracking, the company is a leading courier company in India.
2. Blue Dart Courier Services
Since 1983, Blue Dart has been serving businesses and clients worldwide as a premier courier services provider. Blue Dart reaches more than 35,000 pin codes in India and 220+ countries globally. They bundle services into different payment packages. Orders can be delivered by COD, with an automated proof of delivery at fulfilment, by weather-resistant packing, and with time-based/slot-based delivery.
3. Delhivery for Courier services
As an e-commerce courier services provider, Delhivery started its business in 2011 and is now one of the top companies in the field. Approximately 75% of Delhivery’s customers are major eCommerce businesses in India. Delhivery offers several services, reverse logistics, COD, and other top-rated services. The company’s primary focus is on providing on-demand, same-day, next-day, and various types of express delivery options.
4. DHL Shipping Company
In India, international courier services are available for eCommerce, including Dalsey, Hillblom, and Lynn (DHL). A well-managed network of fulfilment centres worldwide allows the company to optimize supply chain solutions to improve order fulfilment in the United States and more than two dozen countries across the globe. DHL Courier Company, which covers 26000+ pin codes across the country, is committed to helping companies reduce their environmental footprints and reduce wastage in the delivery process.
5. DTDC Courier company
The Indian subsidiary of this global logistics company is DTDC (Desk to Desk Courier & Cargo) Express Limited. Apart from COD and Collect-on-Delivery services, bulk shipments, heavyweight shipments, and express delivery services for eCommerce businesses, DTDC offers businesses a variety of customization options tailored to their customers’ preferences. To maximize their fulfilment, customer enterprises have access to both interstate and intracity delivery options.
6. Ecom Express Logistics Company
The Ecom Express courier service for eCommerce in India is among the best. Ecom Express is a favourite among e-commerce businesses that handle high-value goods like jewellery, offering security and surveillance services during storage and transit because it covers more than 27,000 pin codes across India.
Ecom Express offers other courier services, such as express delivery and doorstep quality checks (QC) for returned items. The company also guarantees that customer deliveries and those returning to the warehouse will be completed within 72 hours.
7. FedEx Courier partner
Another eCommerce courier service, FedEx, began in the global logistics before entering the Indian market to offer optimum shipping solutions to online businesses. With extensive expertise in handling a wide range of products, including heavyweight items, fragile items, high-value items, and hazardous materials like lithium batteries and dry ice, it is considered one of the best courier services in India for eCommerce businesses.
8. GATI Shipping Partner
A top courier service in India must include GATI. In 1989, the GATI Courier company was established to optimize distribution for retailers and online businesses. The service currently covers over 19000 pin codes within India, with a reach that extends to 735 of the 739 districts within the country. Companies can take advantage of various distribution methods, including express delivery, shipping methods, and warehousing. COD orders can also be handled, and pick-up from warehouses can be customized.
9. Safe Express Logistics Company
Safe Express has provided eCommerce logistics services among the oldest courier companies in India for over 20 years. The company offers supply chain solutions to over 28000 different pin codes in India.
By equipping vehicles with PRS-enabled smart devices, eCommerce enterprises can receive real-time status updates during the transit of orders. Transport units can determine the optimal delivery route to minimize delivery delays using this information. Online businesses benefit from its fast delivery services, including delivery confirmations upon fulfilment.
10. Professional Couriers Services
Experts in supply chain management have worked with Professional Couriers for over a decade as a courier service provider company. Professional Couriers maintains over 1000 offices across the country to ensure streamlined delivery. The company provides fast courier services with an added level of security and reliability to businesses. With a well-distributed network of fulfilment offices, efficiency is maintained.
Criteria for Choosing the Best Courier Services Company
- Serviceability
All courier partners must meet this criterion. Two simple questions determine serviceability. Do they deliver to the locations you need? How many orders does your business receive every day, every week, and month?
In light of the rapid growth of online retail and e-commerce, multiple couriers are required to meet consumer demand. Distribution needs become more complex as more industries shift to web-based platforms.
- Limitations on Cargo Weight and Size
The shipping options available to you depend on your freight’s weight and freight capacity, and mode of transport. The most important thing is to consider the size scale of cargo being transported regularly, even though the exact size and weight of products and shipments may differ from one order to another. The ideal courier partner will be familiar with shipping shipments of that size and to the destinations required.
Others may focus on shipping bulk orders of smaller products, and some may excel at handling large shipments. The shipping needs of businesses that deal in items like pharmaceuticals or cosmetics will differ significantly from those that deal in heavier and bulkier items like machinery and furniture.
Delhivery and Ekart best handle delivery of bulky orders like furnishings. Shippers from other shipping companies are known for reaching remote regions of the world and the country. In addition to ensuring you have an extensive reach in the future, choosing a courier partner with a national space can also help your company expand across the country and internationally.
- Freight Costs
You might still be unsure how to narrow down the list of couriers if you find multiple providers within your range of serviceability based on location, volume, and weight. In this case, shipping rates can help you make an informed decision. In other words, look for the best rate if you want the best overall service, not the lowest rate.
Various factors can influence rates, including the distance and speed of delivery, the size and weight of the shipment, the type of shipment, and the final destination. In that case, the business owner needs to ask themselves: What are my customers’ most important requirements? When you receive same-day delivery orders frequently, the best option is to select a courier partner specializing in same-day or ultra-fast shipping or one that does not charge additional fees for the service.
- Delivery Speed
Fast delivery is crucial to winning over customers and providing them with the best online shopping experience. Most customers expect their orders to arrive within three to five days, and consumers tend to become anxious after that point and often suffer from buyer’s remorse. RTOs (Return-to-Origin) can rapidly increase due to this. By monitoring delivery speed for each delivery, platforms like Inventiva can give you a clearer picture of the causes and effects of low delivery speeds.
Many factors affect the speed of delivery, including the training of delivery agents, warehouse management, vehicle selection, and many more. Faster deliveries are likely associated with courier partners with more efficient distribution networks. As speed is an essential part of a business’s brand, a courier partner specializing in express delivery would be a good choice.
- Hidden Costs and SLA Terms
Other logistics companies may charge extra for different services, even those built into the distribution process. Some logistics companies charge extra for single-day or scheduled fast deliveries in India. The most unexpected costs can arise from packaging, label printing, or even consolidated shipments. RTOs can result in a loss for e-commerce companies because even if the customer gets a refund, the shipping cost remains unchanged.
Every transaction can be clarified with much-needed transparency and clarity due to an SLA. Aside from standard delivery terms, SLAs can specify quality control, NDR response, delivery speed, exceptional circumstances, and penalties. A legal service level agreement is designed to ensure that the business does not bear the brunt of any mishaps, missteps, or miscommunications made by the courier.
- Specialization
Shipping solutions have become more creative as more industries turn to the internet. Some courier companies have specialized resources to handle a wide range of cargo quickly and efficiently, depending on the goods they are transporting.
Similarly, some courier partners specialize in bulk shipments, while others are better suited to handle smaller orders. Various shipping companies may specialize in multiple areas, such as express delivery, customs clearance, or even moving wet cargo such as water or petrol. Finding specialized courier partners is imperative for businesses that sell temperature-sensitive, fragile, flammable, radioactive or high-value products.
- Security and Insurance
Insurance is one of those high-value products that can prevent any individual or business from facing an enormous loss. The same is true for the transportation of cargo. The Mona Lisa may not have to be treated like valuable in transit, but knowing that your shipping agent guarantees a certain degree of safety during transport will reduce the amount of money spent on damaged or degraded products.
Courier service companies often use specialized transportation professionals trained to handle items with extreme care. A company’s reputation can be ruined or made by high value or fragile products. For example, Bluedart is usually used by online jewellery stores, which typically ship high-value products. In addition to having a reliable courier partner, a business can also avoid heavy losses by getting a standard insurance plan.
- Delivery Mechanisms
The entire shipping process is defined by any courier service company, including storage, transportation, and communication. Miscommunication between an online store, a courier company, and customers can be highly frustrating for business owners.
Orders are picked up from warehouses or distribution centres and then delivered to customers. A company’s training program, the number of fulfilment centres it uses, the tracking platform it uses, the messages it sends to clients, and the status updates it gives to them are all considered in this category.
- Proof of Delivery
Occasionally, you may not realize a problem until you receive customer feedback when the situation is beyond repair, and not every delivery is successful, despite many being marked as successful. Implementing strict policies and systems for demonstrating proof of delivery is beneficial for ensuring that customer complaints can be verified and the delivery agents held responsible if there is a problem with the product.
It is recommended that you ask prospective shipping companies how they communicate proof of delivery. Depending on the policy, some may require photographic proof, which will describe, in much greater detail, the condition of the product, packaging included, in the customer’s possession, than either text or an automatic update.
- RTO Percentage
Frequent delivery failures are one of the biggest problems facing any e-commerce business. Losses can occur due to RTOs, especially if the product is not returned in usable condition. This can happen if there is no reverse logistics and returns system in place by the shipping company. RTOs can also occur if a customer has difficulty tracking a product or delayed shipment.
Identifying courier partners with a high number of RTOs on an ongoing basis is helpful before selecting an eCommerce logistics partner. However, by efficiently handling NDRs (Non-Delivery Reports), RTOs can be reduced to some extent. What steps are taken to complete an order after an initial delivery attempt fails?
When a courier agent fails to reach a customer, is there a policy that ensures that a subsequent delivery will be successful if additional information is received from the customer? In the case of NDRs, a standardized response system offered by unified platforms such as Inventiva can significantly reduce your RTO percentage. The efficiency in the overall delivery of goods and the efficiency in the completion of initially unsuccessful deliveries is of equal importance.
- Returns Management
In addition to NDRs returning orders to their origin, businesses and online merchants must also be aware that orders may be returned after successful delivery. It is important that the returned item is safely transported back to the storage facility or warehouse where it was purchased.
When it comes to managing returns, an efficient courier company is paramount. Arrangements must be made for pickup, and the responsibility of ensuring the package returns to the business rests with the courier partner. Inventiva’s integration platform can provide instantaneous data collection of customer feedback, enhancing service delivery.
- Stuck Shipments
A few stuck shipments would likely not be noticed among thousands of orders being processed and delivered every day. When customers find out that their orders are being held by a warehouse or fulfilment centre in another city, or worse yet, in their cities, they can become increasingly frustrated. There is the possibility of this becoming far more serious.
The reasons for a stuck shipment may range from customs clearance to logistics issues such as delays in the pickup and vehicle difficulties. Selecting a courier partner capable of overcoming those challenges can be assisted by monitoring the primary causes of your stuck shipments.
- Technology
Because e-Commerce logistics are heavily technology-driven and are always improving their technology savviness, couriers, logistics providers, and shipping solution providers must follow suit. In addition to increasing delivery efficiency and streamlining tracking of orders, APIs and UI platforms can significantly reduce NDRs and increase RTOs.
Courier services equipped with the latest technology will communicate quickly, provide regular updates on the status of the product, and provide easy methods for processing photographic evidence of delivery and receiving customer feedback quickly.
- Additional Benefits
Although these factors may not be at the top of the list of criteria you should consider in your search for the best courier service, they still provide some fantastic opportunities to increase efficiency and fulfil orders efficiently. Apart from storing and managing inventory, a logistics firm can print shipping labels for you, assist with customs clearance and make arrangements for cross-border shipments, depending on what you need.
- Reviews and Track Record of Courier Company
Reviews and insights about the performance of different courier service companies can be found on numerous websites and forums, especially those that focus on larger companies like UPS and DHL. These factors can help you determine if they fit your other needs and meet all the above-listed criteria.
Many shipping partners and logistics firms have built a solid reputation and created a solid foundation in their fields of expertise over many years. You can discern which courier companies can offer you efficient fulfilment solutions tailored to your business needs based on a careful examination of their past performances.
Final Words to Courier services
The ten best eCommerce courier companies in India listed here are the ones that can deliver your customers’ orders on time and at the desired location. With over a decade of experience, all of them provide high-quality courier services with a PAN India presence and a good customer base. The courier services offered by these companies have helped several small and medium-sized businesses fulfil their customers’ needs on time.
Edited and proofread by Ashlyn
