1)Overview of Cash on Delivery Courier in Saudi Arabia
The massive growth of eCommerce is upending businesses globally and for the past few years, it has been booming in Saudi Arabia. For decades, the Middle East has had a troublesome relationship with eCommerce. This has been due to a complete lack of formal street addresses, preference for face-to-face retail interactions, as well as apprehensiveness to using any form of e-payment gateway, like credit/debit cards, e-wallets, or other online payment systems. This made the whole kingdom of Saudi Arabia heavily reliant on COD or cash on delivery.
Since Saudi Arabia like most other GCC countries (Gulf Cooperation Council) was slow on the eCommerce uptake, most of its population falls into the first-time shopper category. This means they critically lack purchasing confidence and would end up questioning their buys several times before finally making a decision.
As first-time shoppers, they are also wary of the quality of the product they might get from an online marketplace. All of these factors add up to making Cash-on-delivery the most favoured payment option in Saudi Arabia.
While COD payments are an excellent way of building loyalty among your customers, this payment mode is also notorious for the highest delivery exceptions or failed deliveries. NDRs (Non-Delivery Reports) can seriously hurt the overall delivery success rate of any eCommerce business.
Luckily, most of these COD challenges can be solved with processes like proper returns management and COD Reconciliation. Of course, finding yourself the best Cash On Delivery (COD) Courier Service Provider Company will help with sorting out these issues.
To make your search easier, we have curated a list of the best Cash On Delivery (COD) Courier Services in Saudi Arabia. All of these courier companies command a team of well-trained professionals equipped to handle failed COD orders and provide a quick resolution to orders stuck in transit.
2)Top 10 Best Cash On Delivery (COD) Courier Service Provider Companies in Saudi Arabia [2022 Updated List]
2.1) Esnad Express Cash On Delivery Courier Service Company in Saudi Arabia
Esnad Express is a technology-driven courier service company based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) which offers time-bound pickup and delivery of shipments both inside and outside of Saudi Arabia. Due to the absence of street addresses and pin codes in the country, Esnad Express uses GPRS technology to deliver shipments to the exact location. They have a clear system for COD orders.
In case of delivery exceptions or failed deliveries, they provide weekly COD remittances with the lowest rates on returns. As an eCommerce business, you can create an Esnad account to pay via a monthly invoice and gain access to several pricing options and bulk discounts. They offer same-day deliveries (SDD) in Riyadh and next-day deliveries (NDD) in more than 25 cities.
2.2) Postaplus Cash On Delivery Courier Company in Saudi Arabia
Since its foundation in 2005, PostaPlus has gone from being a domestic courier company to a leading regional provider of global business, courier and shipping solutions. They provide speedy transportation of shipments via land, air freight, and sea.
Postaplus introduced COD transactions a while ago where customers could pay for their item(s), shipping, and customs clearance (if any) upon delivery rather than in advance through online payments. Apart from cash, they also accept K-net payments for eCommerce shipments.
Its Pick-and-Pack service maintains full transparency during order delivery with real-time tracking updates.
2.3) Aymakan COD Courier Service in Saudi Arabia
Aymakan is a Middle East-based courier company that started its operations in KSA in 2014. This multinational logistics service provider currently ships to 130+ countries all over the world. Aymakan aims to provide innovative end-to-end logistics solutions and customer support services for e-commerce businesses. They are hugely popular in the region for their estimated delivery success rate of 90%.
With the Aymakan carrier, you also get to opt for Cash-on-Delivery (COD) services. Aymakan offers a streamlined COD reconciliation period of one week to transfer funds for fulfilled COD orders. It also allows you to offer customers other payment methods, like Mada and STC Pay. Faster cash transfers ease out the post-purchase journey that makes for a smoother shipping experience both for you and your customers. All AyMakan clients are assigned a personal account manager who manages all their orders and prepares comprehensive bi-monthly reports.
2.4) Shipa Delivery Cash On Delivery Courier Service in-Saudi-Arabia
Shipa Delivery is the technology and innovation wing of Agility, a global logistics leader and MENA’s largest developer of logistics parks. Shipa has a highly skilled team with deep insights into the logistics industry and online commerce. Shipa provides integrated domestic and cross-border courier solutions for eCommerce businesses of all sizes. The courier platform operates through a single-window that allows you to navigate the entire shipping and tracking journey.
They partner with multiple courier partners to deliver on your customer promise. They excel at on-time deliveries, for all their orders including same-day, or next-day deliveries. They are well-equipped to manage cash on delivery orders and keep delivery exceptions low with constant follow-ups to customers for failed deliveries.
2.5) Thabit Logistics eCommerce COD Courier Partner in Saudi Arabia
This is the new kid on the block. Thabit Logistics came into being in 2020 to provide transportations and express courier services to various small and large eCommerce companies and startups within Saudi Arabia. Despite being a total newcomer to the eCommerce shipping industry, Thabit Logistics has secured an enviable position for itself by streamlining its COD delivery and reconciliation process.
A COD order is not marked as completed or fulfilled unless the customer pays for it and the eCommerce partner sends proof of delivery to associated parties. In case of returns, the eCommerce partner collects the product before submitting an NDR to the company. They allow a COD reconciliation period of one week within which all funds transfers must be completed.
2.6) Firstflight Cash On Delivery Delivery Firm in Saudi Arabia
First Flight started its operations in the UAE in 1986. The First Flight Middle East is one of the largest express courier companies in the MENA Region (the Middle East and North Africa). Their vast array of express delivery solutions have helped businesses like financial exchanges, banks, institutions, trading companies, SMEs as well as eCommerce businesses.
First Flight specializes in providing eCommerce businesses with high-end courier and shipping solutions. Pickups can be scheduled and tracked from the carrier platform via the live order tracking feature. Apart from doorstep charges collection and COD, they also allow eCommerce businesses to pay with Party COD. This allows the customer to pay for several COD orders at one go. First Flight is also known for its solid infrastructure designed for reverse shipping or logistics.
2.7) Fodel COD Provider Company in Saudi Arabia
Fodel is a one-of-a-kind parcel pick-up location provider. It offers a network of pick-up locations as an alternative to doorstep delivery by connecting e-commerce platforms from one end of the country with local merchants on the other. Customers can then collect their shipments from their nearest pick-up locations, whenever they like.
With a network of 100+ pick-up locations, Fodel makes order fulfillment easier for both courier partners and eCommerce companies. Since the parcel pick-up locations are active all around the clock, the chances of failed deliveries arising from customer's unavailability or absence can be next to zero. They offer COD services in all their pick-up locations for a smoother shopping experience.
2.8) Qatar Post eCommerce Cash On Delivery Partner in Saudi Arabia
Qatar Post is the national postal and courier service provider of Qatar, with operations in more than 200 countries globally. Qatar Post has come up with a specialized platform for providing eCommerce business solutions, called Qatar Connected. Connected, is an international shipping service that can help you ship orders to Asia, Africa, the US, and the UK at very competitive prices.
Connected promises super-fast deliveries, meaning your orders reach you within 5-8 working days. For domestic orders as well as international orders, both Qatar Post and Qatar Connected offer COD services without any hidden costs. Order is marked as fulfilled only after successful payment. Shipments can be easily tracked throughout the entirety of their journey with the help of the live tracking feature. With Qatar Post, you can also schedule pick-ups from multiple locations.
2.9) Asyad Express Cash On Delivery (COD) Courier Arabia
Asyad Express is an Omani express courier and delivery service provider that ships to Saudi Arabia among many other nations. It caters its world-class shipping and courier services to various sectors such as growing SMEs, established international companies, and various other sectors like eCommerce, manufacturing, and finance.
In addition to providing core courier services, it also offers value-added shipment management services like packaging, bundling, etc. Asyad Express does offer complete COD services including payments and returns. However, those services come with an additional cost. If you wish to make use of their COD services, we would advise you to get directly in touch with their support team.
2.10) Jeebly Cash On Delivery Service Provider
Jeebly is headquartered in Dubai and aims to become a major disruptor in the existing last-mile delivery system in the Middle East. It partners with many eCommerce companies to deliver extremely punctual and fast deliveries.
It provides a top-of-the-line tracking system that tracks pick-ups from stores, business collections & client returns till the items reach their destinations. Jeebly offers end-to-end COD services and manages returns without causing any extra hassle to your eCommerce business.
3)How To Choose Best Cash On Delivery (COD) Courier Service Company in Saudi Arabia
The main reason why COD orders are harder to fulfil is because of returns or RTO (Return to Origin) and COD reconciliation. The first and most important part of COD reconciliation is to reconcile the COD payments with the corresponding transaction in the financial accounts so that there are no inconsistencies between the two.
The second is to figure out the reasons behind these cancellations or failed deliveries and determine if any of those are solvable either by you or the courier company. As an eCommerce business in Saudi Arabia, you would want to keep COD as one of the payment options. Not only does the availability of COD services develop trust in customers, getting rid of cash on delivery options might lead you to lose a big chunk of your target audience.
Instead, you should try to make COD offerings as foolproof as possible by ensuring a couple of checkpoints before selecting a Cash On Delivery (COD) Delivery Service Provider Company for your eCommerce business. We are going to discuss a few things that every eCommerce entrepreneur must keep in mind before picking the best Cash On Delivery (COD) Courier Service Provider Company in Saudi Arabia.
3.1)Partner with Courier service providers with COD services
You can choose to partner with any of the above listed courier companies in Saudi Arabia. All of these courier companies have been handpicked based on their COD offerings. These shipping companies have a skilled staff and excellent fleets with proper safety protocols to ensure the safe and secure delivery of your products. These courier services provider companies also have proficient reverse logistics channels in place.
3.2)Have a solid NDR Management System
The downside of having a flourishing eCommerce business is having to deal with NDRs or Non-Delivery Reports. That said, all eCommerce businesses must deal with NDRs whether or not they provide cash on delivery services.
In the case of a COD order, a well-organized NDR system allows you to track failed or canceled deliveries and the reasons behind them. You can then have a better understanding of what is or is not working for your business with respect to COD orders. The report can sometimes act as a wake-up call to change courier service providers.
3.3)Look for strong customer support
It's always good to have strong customer service but it's even more true with cash on delivery orders. Strong and responsive customer service can enable timely order fulfillment in case something goes wrong in the last-mile delivery operation.
For instance, if a customer is unavailable or has mistakenly shared a wrong address, a customer service executive can repeatedly follow up with the customer and make sure that the order is delivered within 24 hours.
3.4)COD Serviceability
If the success of your eCommerce business hinges on COD services, you might want to select logistics service providers that provide COD offerings in larger areas or regions. Keep in mind that a larger network coverage does not necessarily mean a larger COD coverage too. Always check with your courier service company before making your decision.
4)Final Conclusion
These are the top 10 best cash on delivery (COD) courier service provider companies in Saudi Arabia that you can choose for your eCommerce business. Cash on delivery remains the most favored paying option in Saudi Arabia.
As long as your customers are attached to COD, eCommerce businesses must also continue to provide COD services to cater to a large customer base. We hope this article helped you in navigating the mechanisms of COD services. Armed with this information, you can now safely choose the best cash on delivery service for your business.