With the advent of marketplaces like Amazon, the delivery of products has taken on a new meaning, leading to customers raising their expectations about eCommerce service standards. According to half of all shoppers surveyed, a major factor influencing their decision to purchase online is the convenience and personalised service associated with the delivery by eCommerce fulfilment services.
Shipping and delivering products is one of the most important contact points in the customer journey. There is good news, though, as you can control the shipping process, so your customers have a better shopping experience. Delivering a high-quality product will increase customer satisfaction and retention, leading to increased sales and revenue for your company.
What is eCommerce shipping?
E-commerce shipping is a service used by companies which sell their products online, allowing them to ship their products more efficiently and affordably. With online shopping becoming incredibly popular, eCommerce fulfilment and shipping have also evolved into a few different phrases. Online shopping companies compete to provide the most cost-effective experience.
Amazon and Walmart have made shopping faster and cheaper for their customers by introducing faster and cheaper eCommerce shipping methods.
For companies just getting started with a few packages a day, shipping via postal services may be adequate, but as you grow and attract more customers, you will have to figure out a faster and cheaper way to ship packages so that you can meet the expectations of your customers. eCommerce shipping solutions guide or 3PL eCommerce fulfilment UK services can help you with that.
Why is eCommerce shipping important?
Customers’ experiences with a brand can create or damage the connection between them and the brand, which could negatively impact sales. Despite being able to regulate the majority of clients’ experience, after the product ships, the delivery of eCommerce orders is outsourced to eCommerce fulfilment providers that receive the orders. Your first impression may only be repeated if the package arrives on time or is damaged.
Shipping charges can significantly affect the bottom line due to the time and money required to ship, so it is important to work with a reputable courier service. The cost of shipping can also discourage buyers from purchasing.
Shipping becomes increasingly important for e-commerce to succeed and maximise profits as the best 3PL for e-commerce fulfilment benefit grows in popularity. A seamless shipping experience is a goal for most e-commerce enterprises, no matter how big or small.
Strategies for eCommerce sales boosting
Create Your Shipping Strategy
Differentiating yourself from the competition and increasing conversions, revenue, and average cart value can be achieved by developing a solid shipping strategy. In addition to reducing costs, increasing margins, and enhancing customer satisfaction, shipping strategies can also help increase customer loyalty and brand recognition.
The shipping options you choose for your business must be tailored to meet your specific needs and requirements before developing a shipping strategy.
Consider Offering Free Shipping
In recent years, Amazon has introduced free shipping on orders over £20. The easiest way to reduce cart abandonment and increase conversions is to use this strategy. 91% of customers are unhappy with slow or free delivery, and 79% prefer free delivery to fast delivery.
The opportunity to offer free delivery to your customers is a great way to meet their expectations. You can also use it as a marketing tool to differentiate yourself from your competitors, but free does not guarantee success. Delivering your products to your customers will require you to pay the 3PL companies UK.
To determine whether free shipping will increase your profit margins, you must first understand how it will affect your customer base. If your business loses money on every order, even if free shipping increases sales, there’s no point in providing it.
Consider Expedited Shipping
According to studies conducted, 90% of consumers are willing to wait a bit longer for an item if shipping is free of charge. Nevertheless, due to the limited budgets of many small eCommerce companies, expedited shipping offers a good alternative (people want their orders fast).
What’s even better? A survey of consumers found that people expect “fast” service, particularly from small and medium-sized E-commerce retailers and 3PL logistics companies UK. Most respondents considered 3-5 days an acceptable wait time. To offset the cost of expedited shipping, you could offer free shipping with a surcharge for expedited shipping!
Be Transparent About Shipping Costs
Need the budget for free shipping? Transparency about eCommerce shipping costs is the next best option. Shipping cost is one of the most frustrating things for buyers, who may abandon their cart and look elsewhere when they only learn it at the end of their transaction.
By implementing a flat-rate shipping system, you can provide the shipping fee upfront or allow customers to enter their zip code before checking out to calculate eCommerce shipping costs sooner.
Ship Products Appropriately
It may not be possible for small businesses to offer customised packaging like some big players, but they should still drop their products in a box and ship them away. It is still important to ensure that fragile products are packaged securely and shipped in an appropriate-sized box. The broken items will also be less likely to be returned.
Take Responsibility for Shipping Problems
Once your package leaves your hands, it can suffer a lot of damage. A package can be delayed during transit, delivered to the wrong address, damaged upon arrival, or lost completely. Even though you may not be at fault for any of these, your customer may not see it that way, and they may expect you to rectify the situation.
The eCommerce order fulfilment carrier should be contacted as soon as you know of a problem. Depending on the circumstances, making good on the problem could involve offering a discount on the next order if the item is delayed or replacing it if it is damaged.
How can 3 PL Fulfilments help you?
Choosing 3PL Fulfillment- the best eCommerce fulfilment service allows you to work from when an order is received to when it has been packed, shipped, and delivered. Upon receiving an order, we will have our warehouse team verify all shipping addresses and add any pertinent information. E-commerce shipping is made easy with 3PLs.
With innovative tech support and an advanced WMS solution, eCommerce businesses need 3PL Manchester to handle the following functions:
- Order processing and receipting
- 3PL billing that is accurate and timely
- Visibility of operations and inventory
- Packing and picking products in the warehouse
- Label printing
- All inventory activity is automated and notified to customers
- Every order is tracked in the cloud
- Integrations with shopping carts
- Integrating APIs and EDIs and providing expert support
- Scalable and repeatable workflows
- Reports on demand
- Returns management
Final Thoughts
A compromised shipping process can threaten your business: late shipments, costly shipping costs, unfulfilled orders, wrongly shipped products, unclear refund policies, inadequate packaging, etc. These issues lead to low customer retention and satisfaction. We at 3PL Fulfillment integrate the most efficient shipping solution. Reach out for a quote today.
