If you run an ecommerce business, one of the last things you would like to think about is logistics.
Today, however, the pressure is greater than ever to provide your customers with the best experience possible throughout the buying process. The shipping speeds to clients is one aspect of this process that many ecommerce companies can significantly improve!
Did you know that more than 69% of your clients would stop doing business with you if you frequently make late deliveries?
You may have been there before: you order a commodity that you’re ecstatic about. However, as time passes and your tracking information updates at a glacial rate, your enthusiasm begins to wane. So much such that by the moment you receive your item, you’ll have forgotten you ever ordered it in the first place.
Why not concentrate on your clients’ enthusiasm by assisting them in receiving the product as soon as possible? Continue reading to learn key methods for increasing your ecommerce shipping speed.
1. Multiple Locations
One of the tips that have worked is setting up many locations. The more delivery locations you have, the faster you will deliver items to your client. One delivery store is not enough to serve a dense and dispersed population.
But before setting up another facility, ensure it is not in a remote area. The facilities need to be as close to where people are as possible. If you set up a location that is hidden or far, you will incur high transport costs.
Some ecommerce businesses find it expensive to set up additional locations. If you cannot afford to set up more, your e-businesses should partner with a fulfillment center.
A fulfillment center is a hub that deals with all logistics concerning item deliveries. As a result, it can link your ecommerce businesses with clients from all over the region.
2. Expedited Shipping
In expedited shipping, goods reach the customer quicker. This is because delivery trucks barely stop for breaks. Though fast, expedited shipping is costly.
This shipping method can be affordable if you can get a fulfillment center. Most fulfillment centers ship goods at discounted prices. If you are looking to cut costs, you may need to send your goods through fulfillment centers.
This shipping method is best suited for e-commerce companies that deliver bulky goods like furniture. Delivery trucks are spacious and can accommodate a lot of goods. If you deliver small items like a cellphone, you may need to ship them without a third party.
3. Delayed Notifications
Sometimes, it may be difficult for a company to deliver an item the same day a client ordered it. As a result, the company will inform them to wait for a certain number of days. By informing the client to wait, the company will not receive numerous calls regarding their order status.
By setting the expected delivery period, an ecommerce business employs the delayed notification method. The method relies on a marketing psychological principle called overpromise and under-deliver.
For instance, a client may expect delivery on Sunday. To their bemusement, the company decides to deliver their item on Friday. At the back of clients’ minds, they will marvel at the company’s shipping speeds.
In this tactic, the client’s expectations were low until the ecommerce company exceeded their expectations by delivering earlier. The client thus gets an illusion that the company is a fast deliverer.
On the other hand, the tactic gives the management time to organize for the item to be delivered in a stress-free environment.
4. Same Day Picking
When a client decides to send an item through a courier company, the company will typically wait for 1-2 days before delivering it. You may be quick to call out the company for its delays when it is not the case.
Before an ecommerce company delivers an item to another company, they first determine whether the recipient has a 24-hour pick policy. If the recipient has that policy, the courier company will deliver the item the same day.
The 24-hour pick policy thereby reassures the sender that the business is operational 24/7. This information is crucial to the e-business. Without this information, the business may spend so much fuel and time only to find the company closed.
If you decide to work with companies that employ this policy, you will need to be timely. That means you have to understand the working hours of the company. With this policy, you will do what you can to beat the company’s closing time.
5. Use GPS Program
Road congestions greatly hinder shipping speeds. After you get stuck in a traffic jam, you may decide to inform your client that you will be late. Unfortunately, the client gets upset and tells you that you should have left earlier enough.
Despite leaving early, you can still be caught up in a traffic jam. As a driver, you may have to acquaint yourself with roads least likely to be congested. In some cases, your prediction may be wrong.
Thankfully, with a GPS program, you do not need to drive on a congested road.
The software picks your vehicle’s coordinates alongside other vehicles within your region. The system then shows you the least congested roads in real-time. All the driver will need to do is follow the software’s instructions to avoid congested routes.
If your vehicle does not have the GPS program, you can use your smartphone’s in-built GPS.
6. Use Shippo
If you want to make shipping for your store effortless, then you need to get Shippo. The best part? It’s completely free! There’s no risk involved in trying it out on your storefront.
You’ll gain access to the absolute best shipping rates around the globe. You can also split orders into multiple shipments. You can bulk print up to 100 shipping labels at a time, and you can automate your workflow.
Essential features include:
- 95% off USPS, 55% off UPS, 75% off DHL express, and 29% off Fed Ex
- Only pay for labels as you print them
- Bulk print labels
- Automate workflows
- Flawless tracking information
To get access to this awesome shipping app follow this link.
How to Improve eCommerce Shipping Speeds ( quick video )
Follow These Tips to Increase Shipping Speeds
You should now be able to ship orders at lightning speed or very close to it. As with any critical business decision, take your time to fully investigate shipping speeds options and determine how they can be integrated with your current processes and resources.
Here at Shop and Code, we assist people in becoming successful on the Shopify platform. On our site, you can discover informative articles geared toward Shopify merchants and developers. Our articles are designed to assist the Shopify community with their daily tasks, from “How to” Shopify tips to responding to critical queries. For a guide on how Shipping works on Shopify visit our article at this link.
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