Shipping is one of the biggest factors for any ecommerce company these days. The big companies are offering next day or even same day deliveries in some cases and if you’re going to compete with that, you need to make sure that your packaging and shipping operation is perfect. Customers have very high expectations these days and if they’re made to wait for more than a couple of days for something, they probably won’t buy from you again. A surprising number of ecommerce companies are still making some fundamental errors in shipping that are losing them customers. Avoiding these mistakes is the key to ecommerce success.
Hidden Shipping Costs
Cart abandonment is a huge problem for ecommerce companies because, even if you’ve done everything right and the customer is at the checkout stage, that doesn’t guarantee a sale. In some industries, cart abandonment can be as high as 82 percent. There are a lot of different reasons that people leave the site without making a purchase but one of the most common is hidden shipping costs. If they add items to their basket and they think they’re paying a certain price, only to find that the shipping costs are more than they thought, they’ll feel cheated and probably won’t buy it. Companies do this because they think that an initial price that appears cheaper will attract more customers, which it does, but it also means those customers probably aren’t going to buy the product in the end and they won’t be coming back again. Always be upfront about shipping costs so customers don’t get any nasty surprises that scare them off.
Poor Packaging
Shipping isn’t always the most delicate of processes. Items can be thrown about between conveyor belts and from one van to another. So, you need to make sure that your packaging can stand the wear and tear. Otherwise, items may fall out and never actually make their way to their designated destination. This will result in losses on your part, as you’ll have to refund or ship a new item out to the waiting customer. You also need to make sure that your packaging supplies protect any fragile items you may have packed up. Some kind of stuffing should be placed around fragile items to prevent them from breaking or becoming damaged before arrival. Where possible, use eco-friendly options, as this will be good for both your brand’s reputation and the planet!
Broken Or Outdated Equipment
When you do manage to get those customers to go through with the sale, the next step is getting their products out to them as soon as possible. Efficiency is the most important thing here but if you’re using outdated or broken equipment, things will grind to a halt making you more likely to fall behind or make mistakes. For example, when you’re trying to scan and catalogue all of the packages with a broken barcode scanner, you’re likely to send people the wrong stuff. Get a barcode scanner repair to do a service every couple of months so you can be sure that everything is working properly. Things like label machines etc. need to be serviced regularly as well to reduce the chance of any mistakes which will cost you money and lose you customers.
Lack Of Tracking Information
Customers are impatient these days, I’m guilty of it too. When I’m waiting on a package, I’ll check the tracking information to see where it is. It’s also important because people don’t want to have to wait in all day for the package. Most companies offer some kind of tracking information on their deliveries now so if you don’t, customers will quickly become frustrated with you. It also helps to reduce the amount of customer service calls you get from people asking where their parcel is.
Avoiding these shipping mistakes is the best way to keep customers happy and keep them coming back time and time again.
