Compared to traditional retail, delighting customers in the eCommerce space is a challenge. From responsive UX/UI design to crafting the perfect product description, a lot of thought goes into the online customer experience. However, the customer fulfillment experience is often disregarded in favour of more immediate enhancements, such as brand recognition and marketing efforts.
Make no mistake about it – the customer journey doesn’t end until the product is delivered, in their hands and unboxed by the end-user. Until this happens, the possibility of providing a negative customer experience is still likely.
Your online store can offer the best products at the best prices and the best branding, but it’ll all be naught if the customer fulfillment experience is lacklustre.
To truly delight your customers and have them return as repeat shoppers, businesses can’t ignore the customer fulfilment experience.
Today, we’ll review everything that the delivery fulfillment experience entails and how you can optimize yours to truly delight and captivate your customers!
What is the Fulfillment Experience?
The fulfillment experience is the process of preparing products for delivery and delivering them to the customer.
Unlike retail stores, which can engage with customers and provide instant fulfillment, eCommerce stores rely on a complex succession of supply chains, logistics and last-mile deliveries to provide customers with their ordered products.
Online shoppers won’t have the opportunity to see, touch and feel your products for themselves, so the fulfillment experience is paramount for customer satisfaction. More than 80% of customers will not return to a store after just one poor delivery experience.
When executed successfully, an excellent fulfillment experience can increase brand loyalty, lower cart abandonment rates and increase the likelihood of a customer returning.
With so many things to consider for eCommerce shipping, getting lost in the details can be all too easy. To maximize the fulfillment experience and increase brand loyalty, the most successful eCommerce brands take time to focus on these following elements:
How to Improve the Fulfillment Experience
Offer Fast and Affordable Delivery
Everybody wants fast and affordable delivery, but few retailers can actually provide it. More than 60% of customers agree that cost is the most critical factor in delivery.
When speed and price are factored in, 43% of online shoppers will abandon their carts if delivery fees are too high, and more than 25% will abandon their cart entirely if same-day delivery isn’t available.
According to research from UPS, 77% of online shoppers are even willing to pay more for faster delivery. With rapid fulfillment times in such high demand, offering same-day or ASAP delivery could be the push customers need to make a purchase and convert.
Focus on the Unboxing Experience and Branded Packaging
The unboxing experience is an essential touchpoint for building brand loyalty and engaging with customers. Aesthetically pleasing, branded packaging can not only differentiate your product from other competitors but can also increase your brand’s perception and awareness by generating earned media.
On Youtube, the unboxing experience is a content genre that has helped one channel garner more than 18 million subscribers and countless more video views. In 2016, more than 40% of online shoppers shared an image of their purchase if it came in branded packaging. The same percentage of shoppers are likely to make a repeat purchase if their purchase arrived in premium, gift-like packaging.
Remember – the customer experience doesn’t end with the delivery. If your product isn’t shipped with the appropriate dunnage, prepared with branded packaging and arrived damaged, your customer isn’t likely to make a repeat purchase!
Package Tracking and Order Confirmation
Today’s eCommerce shipping is more advanced than ever. With multiple logistic systems, fulfillment centers, and last-mile carriers helping fulfill online deliveries, transparency throughout the shipping process is not only possible but expected.
Customers care about where their packages are—letting buyers know the status of their purchase and where it’s at plays a vital role in the fulfillment experience. Package tracking and status updates can help customers plan around their package arrival date and adjust to any potential delays.
Perfecting the Customer Fulfillment Experience with Cantec Couriers
Today’s eCommerce space is rife with competition. In a digital-first world where customers have endless shopping options, any delivery that misses expectations risks losing out on both customers and revenue. When it costs five times the amount to acquire a new customer than to retain one, this isn’t an ideal outcome.
Even if you’re offering a first-rate product and preparing it in premium packaging for the best unboxing experience, customers will abandon their cart if the delivery speeds and price aren’t up to par.
With that being said, keeping pace with other competitors in the eCommerce space and big-box retailers can be challenging. Access to warehouse logistics, a fleet of last-mile couriers and ample funds to compensate for the high costs of same-day delivery make a huge difference.
That’s where Cantec Couriers comes in.
Our delivery and logistics platform integrates with your online store in minutes and provides full functionality without the need for an IT team. From same-day delivery to express and everything in between, our native iOS and Android apps are designed to make your delivery experience easier, faster and cheaper than ever.
The Cantec Couriers platform lets you onboard your own fleet of drivers or use our own trained and vetted crew. Track your deliveries kilometre-by-kilometre, optimize driving routes and reduce your operating costs with our machine-learning platform that’s designed to reduce delivery times and gas expenses.
With the click of a button, our integrated checkout page delivery scheduler can seamlessly transform all of your stores into fulfillment centers and provide your customers with the convenience of same-day delivery. Our competitive, transparently priced fee structure ensures that neither you nor your customers will be surprised by hidden fees or surcharges.
No matter the industry or service you’re offering, Cantec Couriers’ delivery and logistics solutions are here to help you meet and exceed your customers’ expectations. Sign up today and make same-day delivery your advantage, today!
