Shopping online is a fantastic opportunity for companies to branch out into new markets and sell their products to new customers. However, there is one part of online sales that most customers have issues with – the whole shipment process. It can be all too easy for orders to end up delivered late or even completely lost in the post. If this happens frequently, then it can drag down a company’s reputation. And there is no way you want that to happen to your business.
There are a few things that can be done to improve your shipments, though. Here are the five steps you need to take to revamp your delivery process.
Provide Estimated Delivery Dates
It’s always a good idea to provide your customers with an estimated delivery date of their order. In fact, some market research studies have shown that well over half of all shoppers expect to be given an estimated date. They can then alter their expectations so that they are in line with this estimated date.
Provide Different Shipment Options
When your customers are in the process of buying a product from you, you should offer them a choice of different shipment methods. Some of your customers might need the item urgently, so it’s always wise to offer a next-day-delivery service. Of course, this will be more expensive than your regular shipping option. Customers can then choose the product to come on a day that suits them for a price that they can afford.
Outsource The Deliveries
Taking care of your own shipments and employing full-time delivery drivers can be very expensive for a company, so you might prefer to outsource this part of the process. There are lots of companies that offer flatbed trucking and other shipment methods for the use of other businesses. Simply choose the type of shipment that suits your product best.
Use Shipping Notification Systems
We all like to be kept up to date with what is going on, and this is especially the case when it comes to tracking orders that we’ve recently placed. This is one reason why many companies now offer their customers shipment notifications. The notifications give the customer an idea of where their product currently is. It can also give them a more realistic delivery date.
Keep An Eye On Your Inventory
Make sure that you are carrying out a stocktake as frequently as you can. Ideally, this should be done at least once a week. That way, you can update your website so that any out of stock items can’t be bought by customers. If they do buy something that is out of stock, then it will delay the whole delivery process and they could end up waiting a long time to receive their product. This is so important that most companies put one warehouse employer in charge of their weekly stock takes.
Hopefully, these five steps will help you improve your company’s shipments so that you can be even more profitable and successful!
Add comment