We’ve all had good and bad experiences when it comes to delivery. And if we’re honest having a negative delivery experience impacts your view of that retailer – and often leads to that infamous phrase “I’m never ordering from there again.”
Negative delivery experiences leave lasting impressions on customers, whether that is receiving the wrong parcel, paying for a next-day service and not receiving your parcel in that time frame, or even receiving broken items in crumpled packaging.
So, when it comes to answering the question: Why does delivery experience matter? It comes down to customer satisfaction and creating an exceptional online service which will promote positive reviews, retained customers and overall, a positive increase in online revenue.
💡Did you know: 94% of customers blame retailers for the speed of their deliveries.
Now you know why delivery experience can have a major impact on your eCommerce business, what should you consider when trying to create a positive delivery experience?
We have a list of the four key factors which impact the delivery experience.
What considerations should I make to improve delivery experience?
1. Speed
We’re putting speed as number one because it really is one of the most important aspects when it comes to customer satisfaction and retention. In a same-day delivery world your customers are expecting their orders… yesterday.
Industry-standard dictates that customers should be receiving their orders in a timely manner and as such the SCEND standard is same-day dispatch with orders placed before 4pm.
Allowing for later cut-offs and encouraging next-day delivery services will go towards improving customer experience and in return, customer retention.
2. Accuracy
Though speed is and should be number one, you should never allow speed to impact accuracy. When customers place online orders, they get excited to receive their goods, and when the wrong item arrives there is no greater disappointment. That is why when a customer receives the wrong item they are more likely to simply return the item for a full refund rather than ask for an exchange for the item which they ordered.
This simple mistake in your pick-and-pack warehouse can decrease customer lifetime value, and seriously impact your retention rates. That is why at SCEND we have a guaranteed triple-verified process which ensures that we retain our 99.99% pick accuracy. Making happy clients, and happy customers.
3. Branding & Packaging
Most eCom business owners are extremely proud of the brand that they have created, and rightly so. A lot of time, money and energy has gone into creating logos, colour pallets and brand guidelines, so why choose to deliver the goods to your customers in a beige box?
Your packaging gives you the opportunity to show your customers what makes you different! By allowing them a unique opening experience, you’re creating a memory.
Not only can you create a positive experience for your customers – customers are also more likely to share their new products and the company they got them from with their friends and family, and even on social media.
Since the rise of social commerce and influencer marketing, there are an abundance of smaller businesses which are soaring due to content creators sharing their products. Having appealing packaging makes influencers more likely to share their purchase. Never underestimate the power of social media!
4. Courier choice
💡 Did you know:Over 63% of customers would not re-order from a brand if their first purchase turned up late or did not arrive.
Though not often something that we expect, there are times when deliveries go missing, or turn up weeks or even months late. We, as a 3PL understand that beyond the warehouse what happens in transit is out of your control. But there are things that we can look at to ensure these types of things don’t happen. And one of those is courier choice.
More often than not businesses will look at couriers and explore the cheapest option – we’re here to tell you that cheapest very often doesn’t mean best!
Choosing a more premium courier will help to instil trust in your customers and using a 3PL will also mean that a more premium option won’t break the bank. As a 3PL we send thousands of packages each day, which means we have access to premium rates for shipping. Using a 3PL allows you to tap into these rates too – meaning you can use a courier you can trust whilst still keeping costs relatively low… just think about that.
5. Customer Experience
All in all customer experience should be at the heart of everything that you do as an eCommerce business. Keeping customers happy and on side can help increase customer LTV, improve retention rates and overall increase revenue.
All to often we see the customer experience slow down as soon as the order is placed. But fulfilment is the last step in any business's order process to encourage that customer to move from a first-time buyer – to a repeat customer.
If you’re looking for someone who can; help provide a quick, accurate service which gets delivered correctly, on time and by a courier you can trust why not get in touch? A 3PL partner takes the burden of fulfilment completely out of your hands, and what's more – we love doing it! Drop us a message and let us help you to level up your eCommerce fulfilment.
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