Long gone are the days of consumers going to brick-and-mortar stores to do their shopping. If you think about it, why would anyone want to get out and shop when they can shop online and have their packages delivered right to their door? Well, that’s the thing… consumers are stepping farther and farther away from physical retail stores and becoming more reliant on online shopping.
That’s great news for e-commerce business owners and especially good news for the shipping industry. According to morethanshipping.com, back in 2013, it was projected that e-commerce values would increase by 30% each year by 2020 and if you haven’t noticed, e-commerce has taken the world by storm and changed the entire outlook of the logistics industry.
This major boom in e-commerce is prompting more and more people to build custom virtual storefronts and maximize their digital marketing efforts to achieve e-commerce success.
These two go hand in hand simply because in order to drive more traffic to your virtual storefront, it’s going to require marketing efforts like getting links to your online store; In doing that, it’s also putting a high demand on the shipping industry, which in turn, “ups the anty” on your efforts to effectively meet customer expectations.
Customer Expectations
E-commerce, shipping, and high-demand are all correlated with each other, whether you realize it or not, and the way they’re connected is by two words: customer expectations. Customer expectations can be the very thing that keeps certain businesses “in business.” How? Because the consumers’ expectations are being met.
With online shoppers, businesses have to go above and beyond to meet the needs of their customers… This is of great importance because e-stores don’t have the advantage of in-store customer service, so to replace that, businesses have to either meet or exceed their online shoppers’ expectations.
But in order for a business to do that, a business’ shipment company has to operate in the same manner of urgency to meet or exceed customer expectations. In other words, in order for an e-commerce business to meet the expectations of its customers, the shipment company has to meet the expectations of the e-commerce business. This is going to give you hassle-free shipping.
Choosing the right shipment company is ultimately an online business’ key to achieving e-commerce success in meeting or exceeding customer expectations.
Customer Expectations are a Team Effort
Can you guess what one of the biggest expectations is of customers? Sure, customers expect high-quality products that meet their needs and they expect the products to be long-lasting, but one of the biggest expectations customers have is to receive their products on time.
If a customer purchases a product and chooses 3-5 day shipping, they are expecting to receive it in that time frame… not a day later. They especially expect on-time deliveries with same-day shipping! Not only do customers expect to receive their products in the time specified, but they also expect to get notifications of where it is in the transit process.
There’s a thing called instant gratification and customers get this when shopping in brick-and-mortar stores. The online equivalent to instant gratification, as far as shipping is concerned, would be same-day shipping. If you can imagine, there was once a point in time where a customer had to wait for 6 to 8 weeks before receiving their product! That time frame is unfathomable and unacceptable in today’s era.
A customer having to wait that long to receive a product will put any business, out of business... Customers want what they want when they want it and the sooner a business can understand that and meet those expectations, the more profitable and successful that business will be. Just look at Zim Integrated Shipping… They were the most punctual carrier in 2019 with 65% of its services arriving on time! That’s the kind of company you want to do business with!
If you own an e-commerce business, it’s very important that you meet and exceed expectations with your customers through exceptional customer service and by providing high-quality products. But you also can’t forget about meeting their needs through shipping too.
Remember, it’s a team effort. Take a look at what you need to do to meet the demands of your business by enhancing your shipping capabilities.
Meeting High-Demands: Take a Closer Look at Overall Logistics
As an online business owner, you want to make special efforts to select a shipping company that will meet your business needs and requirements. From cost to capabilities, your shipping company is a major part of how your business will meet the needs of your customers.
In choosing the right shipping company, effective communication is a must. Effectively communicating is how you’re going to ensure that you and the shipper are on the same page and can prevent any hiccups in the future. You may not realize it but the shipping company you choose is going to determine how much your customers will pay for shipping and it will determine their shipment options.
Meeting High-Demands: Invest in an Effective Communications System
As mentioned above, communication is going to be the key to a long-lasting partnership between your business and your shipping company. Ultimately, your communications system is what’s going to prevent any miscommunications… If you know anything about miscommunications, then you know it has long been the culprit to errors in shipping management.
Just think about it… Your shipping company doesn’t know all the processes of your business, therefore, it’s vital to devise an effective communication system so you can smoothly run your business without any hiccups. You have to remember, it’s your business name that’s on the line when it comes to customers… they could care less about who your shipper is; All they know is that your business didn’t get their package to them on time or that your business lost their package.
Meeting High-Demands: Keep a Close Eye on the Amount of Inventory You Have
How many times have you tried to order something online and you couldn’t because it was “out of stock?” Can you recall how frustrated you were when you saw that? Well, just imagine how frustrated your customers are when they try to buy products from your site but can’t because you’re “sold out.”
In order to have an efficient shipping system, you’re going to have to invest in a digital stock management system. This is going to allow you to monitor your stock and reduce the chances of unfulfilled orders, and more importantly, disruption!
