The DHL business portal vs. Sendcloud: which is right for you?

In this guide we take a closer look at the DHL business portal and whether it meets your needs as an online retailer, plus how it compares with the shipping platform Sendcloud across shipping, returns, and tracking.

What is the DHL business portal?

The DHL business portal is an online solution from DHL that lets you process your shipping orders through a single central login, from creating shipments to the final invoice, and keeps you updated on DHL's services and products. As the name suggests, it handles DHL shipments only.

What are the advantages of being a DHL business customer?

As a DHL business customer you benefit from:

• Simplicity: with individual shipping rates you can start shipping right away

• Security: your parcels are insured up to €500 by default

• Reliability: regular pickup of your parcels at an agreed address

• Flexibility: manage your DHL shipping in the portal

• Transparency: track your shipments at any time

• Coverage: nationwide and worldwide delivery, including Saturdays

To become a DHL business customer and access the portal, you need to reach a certain annual shipping volume and sign a business contract with DHL. Alternatively, you can ship with DHL through Sendcloud and connect your DHL contract there.

The DHL business portal vs. Sendcloud

The portal covers the basics of DHL shipping. Here's how its main areas compare with the all-in-one Sendcloud platform.

Shipping

In the portal you process shipping online by entering shipments manually or importing data via CSV, which can cost time and patience over the long run. Sendcloud connects your store and your DHL contract, consolidates all incoming orders in one platform, and lets you print the right DHL label in a single click, without retyping addresses or importing CSVs.

Returns

The portal offers a few basic ways to give customers a return label. With Sendcloud you present a personalized, customer-friendly returns portal in your own branding, where customers print their label and you see every return with its status in one overview.

Tracking

The portal lets you and your customers see where a shipment is. Sendcloud takes tracking further: instead of sending customers to the carrier's page, you lead them to your own branded tracking page and emails, personalized with your logo, colors, text, and even campaigns, to drive repeat purchases.

Insurance

Shipments via the portal are insured up to €500 by default. That standard coverage remains when you connect your DHL contract to Sendcloud, and if it's not enough, you can add affordable shipping insurance through Sendcloud up to €5,000.

Choice of carrier

Via the portal, shipping is with DHL only, with no way to combine carriers. With Sendcloud you can offer DHL alongside DPD, GLS, UPS, and Deutsche Post in a multi-carrier strategy, so customers can always choose the best option, which optimizes your checkout and reduces cart abandonment.

Smart shipping rules

The portal has no smart shipping rules, since it ships with one carrier only. Sendcloud lets you set up if-then shipping rules based on weight, size, destination, or service to automatically choose the best option.

Support

DHL offers a pool of manuals, FAQs, and a contact form. Sendcloud offers a dedicated contact, a help center, and multilingual support.

The advantages of shipping via Sendcloud at a glance

• Flexible use of the most popular carriers, DHL plus UPS, Deutsche Post, DPD, GLS, and more

• Scalable shipping for online stores of any size

• Many e-commerce integrations, plus an API

• One-click label printing

• Efficient handling of many shipments with smart shipping rules

• A customer-friendly returns process

• Personalized tracking emails and pages

Want to find out more about how Sendcloud works with DHL, or start shipping with DHL? Visit our DHL carrier page.