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One of the most important elements of your eCommerce strategy is shipping! Discover the successful habits and best practices other eCommerce companies follow to ensure customer satisfaction and success.
The key to a successful eCommerce shipping strategy is flexibility. As you evaluate your shipping habits, consider the convenience and ease of the customer journey from purchase order to package delivery. Do you know what can your company do to ensure your customers have a seamless experience?
Let’s dive into some ways you can re-strategize your eCommerce shipping practices.
8 Best Practices for Your eCommerce Shipping Strategy
Finding the best shipping strategy can be a challenge. Thankfully, we listed various strategies to help you determine which ones that best fits your eCommerce company. You can surely gain some insights to adopt into your eCommerce strategy.
Offer free shipping at a cost higher than your average order value.
Everyone loves free shipping! In fact, 83% of consumers consider free delivery to be the most important factor in their online shopping experience. Of course, we know that free shipping is not actually free. Due to companies like Amazon, most online consumers expect free shipping.
In order to gain a profit and satisfy your customers, we recommend offering free shipping at a target cost. If your average order value is $40, consider offering free shipping at $50 to increase that average value.
Be transparent about shipping costs.
If free shipping isn’t realistic for your eCommerce company, you can clearly communicate the shipping cost. If the customer truly wants your product, then they won’t mind paying for shipping, as long as it’s not a surprise cost. Your options include adopting a flat-rate shipping cost or a shipping cost determination functionality at checkout.
Provide multiple delivery options, including express shipping.
Not only did Amazon raise expectations for shipping costs, but the company also raised expectations for delivery speed. Depending on your company’s capabilities, you can offer 1- or 2-day delivery for some or all your shipments. Some customers may be happy and willing to pay more for faster delivery, so it’s crucial to include the option for them.
Go global with your eCommerce strategy.
Did you know that companies are 17% more profitable with a global trade strategy? Most of the world’s consumers live outside the U.S. and many businesses are exporting to these global markets. You can too! This is an opportunity to grow your bottom line and gain a competitive edge, so it’s time to expand your target audience to international shores!
Allow customers to purchase your products without creating an account.
Your potential customers may be deterred to follow through with their online order if they discover that they must create an account on your website at the checkout page. Customers potentially feel that it takes extra time and effort just to place an order.
An easy fix to this issue is offering a “Guest Checkout” option. It’s important to make your customers’ online shopping experience as seamless as possible.
Consider the customer experience using your shipment’s packaging.
Your packaging impacts both your shipping costs and your customer’s experience. In fact, the package itself will most likely be the first “in-person" interaction the customer will have with your company. So, do your best to impress! Branded packaging may be more memorable, but eco-friendly materials might appeal to sustainability-conscious audiences. Weigh your pros and cons to decide which is the best route for your eCommerce company!
Keep your customers notified with shipping and delivery updates.
The ability to track packages ranks high in ensuring high customer satisfaction levels, so make sure to keep your customers in the loop at each shipping stage. Simple email notifications about their package’s delivery progress reassure that everything is going well. With shipping updates, you’re building rapport with your customers to retain their loyalty.
Accept responsibility when things go wrong in the shipping and delivery process.
After a customer’s package is shipped, it’s not technically your eCommerce company’s responsibility anymore, especially when the package is lost in transit. But your customers won’t see it that way! They’ll associate the bad experience with your company regardless, so it’s best to focus on helping your customer with the issue.
Adopt a seamless returns policy for customer satisfaction.
About 95% of customers said they’ll purchase again with a retailer if they’re satisfied with the returns process. Not only should your returns process be easy for the customers to follow, but you must be transparent about these policies even before the purchase. Though Amazon may have its hurdles with returns, customers remain satisfied because of the strong communication of the returns and refund process. Keep convenience and ease in mind as you plan your returns management!
The key habit of having excellent shipping practices for your eCommerce company is to keep the customer’s experience in mind! You want your customers to have a seamless experience from checkout to delivery. Facilitating a positive shipping experience for your customer includes transparency on your costs and returns policy. It is important to offer multiple shipping options for your customers’ convenience and take responsibility for mishaps.
With all these ideas in mind, you’re ready to take your eCommerce shipping to the next level!