You put a lot of work into making sure your customers have an amazing experience. You provide images, edit your store, and run campaigns, all with the goal of making your customer happy and making a return on your investment. But you are missing something important or didn’t give it enough interest that will play a huge role in your success, which is the shipping strategy you follow.
- 74% of shoppers consider free shipping important when checking out.
- 60% of customers chose a competitor with more convenient delivery options.
- 45% of customers abandon their cart due to unsatisfactory delivery options.
- 38% of customers said they would never shop with a retailer after a negative delivery experience.
What does the shipping process require?
The shipping process in eCommerce encompasses the stages from receiving a customer’s order to preparing it for delivery and finally handing it over. The shipping process can be divided into four basic stages:
- Receipt of the order: Ensure that the items are in stock to fulfill the order
- Preparing the order: check the order data and make sure it is accurate (for example, check the shipping address)
- Order Fulfillment: A checklist is created and items are selected, packaged, and prepared for shipment.
- order hand-over: Deliver the order for the customer at the right place and within the promised time.
What to put into consideration before choosing the right shipping company?
There are some tips you should pay attention to when choosing the following shipping company.
Like,
Shipping destination
Double-check your shipping areas and whether or not the shipping company of your choice offers their services there. Sometimes local shipping is a cheaper option; Other times, partnering with an international company will give you leverage to negotiate lower shipping rates.
Time of delivery
46% of consumers dropped their cart based on the delivery date provided by the brand – don’t be that brand.
Make sure the carrier you choose is trustworthy, has the right technology, and has a reputation to back it up to ensure packages reach their destinations on time.
Tracking options
We live in the age of technology, which means that GPS tracking is a must in today’s shipping world.
Find a shipping company that offers an excellent tracking service that can tell you, with real-time updates, all packages sent, as well as notify you when they are delivered.
Set your shipping methods and rates
There are many popular methods, but your choice should always be aware of the basic financial statements of your business.
Offer free shipping
Offering your shoppers free shipping is one of the best ways to decrease shopping cart dropping. Yet, as you might assume, shipping is never free. Someone always has to pay. In order to make free shipping work, you have some options.
- Increase product prices to cover shipping costs (customer pays).
- You pay the full price of shipping from your margins (you pay).
- Raise product prices slightly to cover partial shipping costs (you and your customer pay).
- Give discount codes to selected customers for free shipping which depends on order amount, weight, etc.
Real-time carrier fees collection
Another efficient shipping method is to charge the carrier real-time rates on the freight. Ecommerce platforms like zVendo integrate with multiple carriers to create direct shipping and pricing options from different carriers. This allows your customers to choose and pay for the specific service they want.
Charges a fixed price
A common option is to offer flat rate shipping. The best practice of this option is to try and make sure that you do not reduce or increase the cost of your customers significantly. Flat rate shipping goes at its best when you have a regular set of items of the same sizes and weights.
Shipping by zVendo
As you can tell by now, shipping can be tricky. Determine the shipping cost, then learn how to get it to your customer. There are so many determinations to make. That’s why we’ve taken you a step further with our integration of local and international shipping services, and our multi-currency online store.
Shipping by zVendo allows you to connect your online store to zVendo partner shipping company accounts.
Contact us at zVendo for an outstanding online store.
