Cruise Through The Peak Season With The Ultimate Guide To World-Class Shipping

From sales to products and even warehouses, businesses are looking to optimise the eCommerce user experience, and rightly so! But one pivotal piece of the puzzle is often overlooked: shipping.

More consumers are shopping online than ever before. Thanks in part to the pandemic, over 80 per cent of consumers now go online to buy, so now more than ever, eCommerce businesses need to deliver on delivery with a seamless user journey.

Shipping is now perceived as an extension of your brand, with 70 per cent of consumers saying that a poor delivery or shipping experience negatively impacts their impressions of the retailer rather than the carrier.

But, from consumer expectations to customs forms, staying in control of the shipping experience can be a daunting task.

Luckily, ShipStation and Shopify Plus have put together a comprehensive guide that covers everything you need to know about world-class shipping.

The Ultimate Shipping Guide explores the three pillars of exceptional shipping: strong brand values, shipping transparency and choice.

Done right, your shipping can be a serious competitive advantage, especially during peak periods like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and, of course, the end-of-year holiday season. We’ve done the homework, and here are just a few of our key take-outs…

What do customers want from their eCommerce experience?

1. Values-driven shopping

Ecommerce empowers consumers to align their buying power with their values. For example, 62 per cent of younger consumers prefer to shop for sustainable and green products, and 82 per cent of all consumers would like their parcel packaging material to be recyclable.

Australian consumers are willing to pay more for products and shipping if it aligns with their core values, such as ethical and sustainable practices. Still, high-volume ecommerce brands can struggle to balance these demands with the realities of packaging and shipping.

Fear not, though! The guide offers a sustainable shipping checklist and other tips for ethical shipping options.

2. Visibility and transparency

When shopping online, shipping visibility and transparency are at the top of consumers’ wishlists.

According to Baymard Institute, 69.57 per cent of online shopping carts are abandoned, with unexpected costs and unclear pricing among the biggest contributors to the problem.

As consumers’ expectations for visibility and transparency grow, retailers need to refine how they communicate their shipping and delivery process. The guide covers how to create and clearly communicate your shipping policy, including template examples.

3. Convenience and choice

Consumers have grown accustomed to the convenience of easy returns, pickup points and other novelty delivery options. In order to keep customers happy, businesses need to find ways to optimise choice and convenience across the entire shipping and delivery journey.

Learn about the best automation tools to simplify the shipping and returns process for both you and your customers, including perks like loyalty programs and flexible payment options.

How to leverage shipping to build brand sentiment

So many underutilised touchpoints in the shipping process, from checkout to delivery, provide an opportunity to elevate your brand message and experience like branded tracking and packaging.

Branded tracking

Sure, most carriers offer automated tracking emails, but branded tracking keeps the shopping experience consistent, brand-specific and personalised throughout the entire shipping journey.

Think about the difference it makes if customers receive tracking information that looks as though it is coming directly from you, instead of generic shipping updates from the carrier.

Packaging

According to a Bain & Company study, 60 to 80 per cent of consumers will not return to a brand with lacklustre packaging, even if they were happy with the product.

The shipping process should address customers’ growing expectations around brand experience and sustainable packaging.

Your shipping software can help you get your packaging game right. Through packaging presets, custom packaging types and automation rules, learn how to assign the best packaging type, dimensions and weight for each of your items.

Set sail with ShipStation

Of course, the guide covers much, much more to help you turn shipping into a competitive advantage; from costs, insurance, revenue margins, to international shipping. But to supercharge every aspect of the shipping and delivery experience, you can’t rely on a poorly-rated carrier nor elementary shipping software.

ShipStation can help you streamline, simplify and make the utmost of shipping and delivery. It gives you the tools to compete with billion-dollar companies.

By connecting the dots between your brand and all aspects of logistics, you can meet and exceed customer expectations every time.

Featured image source: iStock/Jennifer J Taylor