E-commerce Shipping Mistakes Every Store Owner Should Be Aware Of

Shipment and delivery, being one of the fundamental aspects ascertaining the worth of any e-commerce brand, is also one of the major zones prone to erroneous judgments leading to customer misunderstandings. A few of them are listed as under –

Steep delivery charges —This often tends to dissuade customer enthusiasm and prevents them from coming back to your e-commerce site. Customers anyway hate being charged for shipping. Keep your delivery charges minimum. Resort to bulk shipping wherever applicable and make sure the shipping charges are clearly spelled out on your website.

Variations in the delivery date — This causes great inconvenience for the customer and may include both preponing and postponing of the mentioned date. Try and stick to the date and time you have committed to your customers, as they may have adjusted their schedule according to yours. Customers in most cases do not mind a late delivery. But it should not be later than committed.

Bad Packaging – Dispatching a well-packaged shipment has dual benefits. Your customers are happy, and with the dimensional shipping norms followed now, you get to save an extra buck or two by ensuring good packaging. Appropriate packaging not only keeps your product from damage but also helps in building your brand identity.

Not shipping through a good carrier – There is no more a dearth of carriers who cater exclusively to eCommerce stores. But as an eCommerce store owner, choosing the right one is the key. Having a wider coverage of the operation, reasonable pricing, timely delivery commitments, and ethical values are a few of the parameters that you need to look at while choosing your carrier.

Manual shipping labels – Manually creating shipping labels are more prone to errors and system delays. Automating this process, on the other hand, can streamline your shipping and expedite the delivery of products. You could also use software to validate that the address entered is correct.

Using ‘free shipping’ to customers – A lot of e-commerce business owners believe that offering free shipping attracts customers. According to a recent study, given an option between free shipping and discounts on products, customers often chose the latter. Hence free shipping offers should not be overdone.

Not listening to your customers – Customers often provide their valuable feedback on your eCommerce sites about delivery and shipping etc. Carefully listen to those feedbacks and take action on them. Not listening to customers may cost you your business, after all.

Not tracking the shipping process – Your responsibility as a business owner doesn’t end till the product dispatched reaches your customer’s door. Make sure you track the shipping and delivery process to the end and be informed of delays and other stumbling blocks.

Optimizing shipping processes is a good practice, not only when your online business is starting to grow, but also when it is a mature business. After all, a well-packaged product delivered well on time gives an enriched customer experience and also establishes your credibility as a business.