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Definitions written for merchants and operators, not dictionary entries.
AI RTO Shield is a pre-dispatch risk-scoring system that flags high-risk COD orders before shipping. Typically reduces COD RTO by 30–50%.
Air shipping moves goods by aircraft between metros, with surface segments for first/last mile. 2–3× cost of surface, 1–3 day SLA. Best for time-critical metro shipments.
AWB is the unique tracking number assigned to every shipment by a courier. The buyer uses it to track delivery; ops uses it to query status, raise weight disputes and reconcile billing.
A courier aggregator is a platform that integrates multiple couriers under one interface — letting merchants ship across carriers without per-courier integration overhead.
COD remittance is the process by which the courier transfers collected COD amounts back to the merchant. Standard cycle T+7 to T+14 days.
COD lets the buyer pay in cash to the delivery agent at the doorstep. 48–62% of Indian ecommerce orders are COD, and it carries 3–5× higher RTO risk than prepaid.
Chargeable weight is the weight on which freight is billed — MAX(actual weight, volumetric weight). The atomic unit of courier pricing.
Freight is the core shipping charge before fuel, COD handling, GST and surcharges. Quoted on the carrier's rate card by weight slab × zone × mode.
The standard direction of shipping — from merchant origin to buyer destination.
Fake [NDR](/glossary/ndr-non-delivery-report) (Non-Delivery Report) refers to instances where a shipment is marked as unsuccessful for delivery by couriers based on contrived or incorrect reasons, without any genuine attempt actually being
FAD is the percentage of shipments delivered on the first attempt. Healthy FAD is 85–92% on prepaid, 75–85% on COD.
Reverse logistics is the complete process of moving goods back from buyer to merchant — covering reverse pickup, transit, warehouse receipt, inspection, restock and refund.
RTO is when a shipment is returned to the merchant after failed delivery — single biggest margin drain in Indian COD ecommerce. Typical 18–35% on COD, 4–8% on prepaid. Reducible by 30–50% with AI risk scoring.
Reverse pickup is the process of collecting an item back from the buyer for return/exchange. Critical for D2C apparel and fashion brands with 5–12% return rates. Typically 1.5–2× cost of forward delivery.
Shipping zone is the geographic distance bucket couriers use to price shipments. India uses 4–6 zones from Local to Special/Remote.
Surface shipping moves goods by truck or rail across India. 2–3× cheaper than air, with 3–7 day typical SLA. The default mode for most D2C ecommerce.
A Shipment Manifest is a detailed document or digital file used in domestic Indian ecommerce logistics to itemize all packages scheduled for pickup, transit, or delivery by a courier company. It acts as a record that lists each shipment's c
Volumetric weight (or dimensional weight) is how Indian couriers charge for bulky-but-light shipments. Calculated as (L × W × H) ÷ 5000 in cm. The shipment is billed on the higher of actual vs volumetric weight.
Volumetric divisor is the constant used to compute volumetric weight. India surface: 5000. Air: typically 6000.