Same product, same parcel — the only difference is it arrives Thursday instead of Monday. That's worth something to the right customer; the express-delivery pricing that captures it.
The product mindset
Express shipping is a product you're selling: 'get it faster'. Products have prices, not absorbed costs — the seller paying express freight on every order is subsidising a feature not everyone wants.
The pricing models
Flat premium (₹99 express fee): simple, works on most lanes. Cost-plus (quote express live + 20% margin): scales across lanes correctly. Free-express-above-₹X (threshold reward): trades the fee for AOV lift. The right model matches your order distribution.
The self-selection
The customer who needs it Thursday pays for Thursday — urgency is self-declaring. The express option filters: casual buyers take the free/cheap option, urgent buyers pay. Both happy, neither subsidised by the other.
The honest ETAs
Express promises must be true — 'express' that's 3 days on that lane is a complaint waiting. Check actual lane transits before promising; the P75 number is the promise.
Pure Parcel runs the whole stack described here — one place for every carrier.
See how →The playbook
Offer express as a priced option
Speed as a product, not a subsidy.
Price at cost+margin or flat
Either model works — pick by your lanes.
Let urgency self-select
The buyer who needs it pays for it.
Promise only what delivers
Express ETAs must survive contact with the lane.
