What are the differences between electronic waybills and traditional waybills?

With the rapid development of e-commerce platforms and information-based logistics services, the waybill number (or consignment note number) has become the hub connecting various information such as logistics service providers, express delivery slips, orders, merchants, and goods. In contrast, the disadvantages of traditional paper waybills, such as high price, low information entry efficiency, and information security risks, have become increasingly prominent.

I. What is an electronic waybill

The so-called electronic waybill refers to a waybill printed using thermal paper according to the requirements of the logistics company to print customer pick-up and delivery information. It is also known as a thermal paper express label, economical waybill, and QR code waybill in the industry.

Electronic waybills have been successfully used for many years abroad, while in China, companies such as JD.com, Dangdang, Yi Xun, and Yihaodian have used electronic waybills since their establishment.

II. Features of Electronic Waybill Service

Electronic waybill service refers to a logistics service provided by express companies to sellers to print paper logistics waybills via thermal paper.

1. Improve receiving efficiency and service quality. After the goods arrive, the customer signs in the acknowledgment column, and the courier tears it off and takes it back, while the customer keeps the remaining stub. Using electronic waybills only requires keeping one document, eliminating the need to keep 3 or 4 copies, preventing the cumbersome process of checking records.

2. Standardize orders and reduce order errors. Large and medium-sized customers use desktop thermal printers to print waybills, while scattered small customers use handheld thermal printers. This eliminates problems such as miswriting, scrap waybills, and illegible handwriting leading to shipping errors.

3. Reduce labor costs and improve the efficiency of consumable utilization. All use thermal printing. Except for large customers who are provided with roll waybills for self-printing, other customers do not need to have waybills pre-reserved at their locations. The door-to-door service with waybills avoids unnecessary waste due to loss or damage of waybills, improves the efficiency of consumable utilization, saves costs, and greatly reduces human resource costs due to the elimination of manual entry of express information.

4. More valuable space for utilization. Waybills have a large information capacity, so promotional advertisements or promotional activities can be printed in the preset blank spaces. Electronic waybills can also become targeted advertising spaces, realizing greater value.

III. Traditional Waybills

Traditional four-part waybills are divided into the consignor's copy, the pick-up copy, the delivery copy, and the consignee's copy. When there are many goods, extracting the consignor's copy and the pick-up copy from the package is time-consuming and laborious, delaying the efficiency of package flow. Manual operation by workers can also easily cause package damage and increase the return rate. Using electronic waybills, the consignor's copy and the pick-up copy can be replaced by electronic stubs. Pick-up and transfer do not require tearing off the corresponding copies from the package. Door-to-door pick-up can be done directly by scanning and delivery, shortening the operation time and optimizing the delivery process.

IV. Advantages of Electronic Waybills

1. Higher Efficiency

Printing efficiency is increased by 60%-90% compared to paper waybills. Thousands of electronic waybills can be printed per hour, which is 4-6 times that of ordinary paper waybills. The average printing time for each waybill is only 1-2 seconds. High-efficiency printing greatly alleviates the pressure of large-volume printing for e-commerce customers. The average speed is 2500 sheets/hour, and the maximum speed can reach 3600 sheets/hour, easily coping with large promotions and avoiding losing customers due to outdated equipment.

Picking efficiency is improved, and the possibility of waybill damage is reduced. The most direct difference compared to traditional paper waybills is that electronic waybills are printed using thermal paper and thermal printers, without carbon copies, only upper and lower copies.

In case of printing errors or damage to thermal waybills, only the thermal paper is lost, and the waybill will not be damaged as a whole. The waybill number can still be used, ensuring the interests of the express company and the staff.

Orders are completed faster. In the traditional shipping mode, operators need to match the printed express slips with the order information before shipping. Electronic waybills do not require one-by-one matching of express slips and order information. The order matching is completed when the order information applies for the express slip number.

2. Lower Cost

The waybill cost is reduced by more than 5 times compared to traditional paper waybills. Reducing the operating costs of express companies can eliminate the express entry process, improve the sorting efficiency of sorting centers, greatly improve the efficiency of express processing, make it possible to use equipment with high technical content such as automatic sorting, provide a technical foundation for industrial upgrading, and support e-commerce value-added services without manual binding of waybills.

3. Consumer Privacy Information Security

The consignee's privacy information is hidden through QR codes to prevent the leakage of consumer personal privacy.