UPS and Yahoo! Inc. announced the integration of a suite of online UPS shipping tools into Yahoo! Small Business, a provider of services enabling small businesses to be successful online.
The tools, now available to Yahoo! Small Business' more than 30,000 merchants, provide easy access to UPS services that allow them to process and ship orders in a more efficient and cost-effective manner, while improving customer satisfaction by displaying key shipment information at check out.
The UPS OnLine Tools can be accessed in Yahoo!'s order management system and include:
Shipping --to process shipments and print labels;
Tracking -- to allow package tracking by both merchants and purchasers;
Rates and Service Selection -- to allow Yahoo! merchants real-time access to UPS shipping rates for their customers;
Time in Transit -- to compare the speed of different UPS shipping services;
Address Validation -- to ensure shipping addresses are correct at time of order and reduce costly delayed and returned shipments.
Additionally, high-volume Yahoo! merchants will have access to import and export processing into UPS WorldShip, eliminating address key entry and allowing merchants to easily download customer orders.
The integration allows UPS OnLine Tools to be easily available at the point of transaction in one location for Yahoo! Small Business merchants. UPS OnLine Tools were introduced in 1999 and are used by nearly 200,000 customers in 40 countries.
Jordan Colletta, UPS vice president of e-commerce marketing, said the integration is an excellent example of UPS's strategy of embedding easy-to-use, UPS-enabled e-commerce solutions to serve customers where they do business.
Yahoo! Small Business merchants can use the UPS OnLine Tools themselves for easy shipment processing, as well as provide the option for their customers to view Rates and Services and Time in Transit tools from the merchant's site.
In addition to the integration for Yahoo! Small Business merchants, UPS Tracking, Rates & Service and Time in Transit Tools are available for general business and individual use within the Yahoo! Small Business Shipping Center.
As part of the integration agreement, a new co-branded site will showcase the relationship. Updated periodically, the site includes a Merchant Center, which educates current and potential Yahoo! Small Business merchants on the benefits of the UPS/Yahoo! relationship, along with case studies and services relevant to the small business marketplace.
For more information, visit www.ups.yahoo.com.
