Guide To Consumer Delivery Expectations

Customers’ delivery expectations are continuing to grow – and fast. While at the early stages of Ecommerce customers were willing to compromise on many issues, those days have since come and gone.

We’ll break down what has changed when it comes to consumer delivery expectations and steps you can take to meet them.

What Are Customers’ Delivery Expectations?

If you want to start delivering what your customers want, it’s important to fully understand what they expect from you. Here are a couple of shipping expectations most customers have today:

1. Fast Delivery

Customers don’t want to experience long wait times to get their items.

However, fast deliveries can get expensive. Therefore, it’s important to offer a free option for those who don’t mind waiting a little longer as well as an expedited option for those who want to pay for quicker deliveries. Keep in mind that for either option, you want to steer clear of delivering outside the window stated.

2. Free Delivery: Free delivery is important to customers. 61.8% of buyers consider shipping costs more heavily than all other factors. A study by Usabilla also found that over a third of people abandoned their carts as a result of the item’s price being too expensive. Free delivery can help to offset some of these costs and encourage the customer to buy.

3. Order Tracking:

Studies indicate that customers want to have tracking information regarding their package’s delivery. If your customers know their package’s delivery status, they’re more likely to be patient. Offering order tracking will also help you cut down on customer support inquiries.

4. Excellent Packaging

Never underestimate the power of good packaging. By making sure your package is delivered to your customer in excellent condition, you’ll be able to save money by reducing the number of customer returns. It’s also important to note that a personalized unboxing experience can help build customer loyalty and brand awareness.

When shipping an item, be sure to carefully optimize it to fit neatly in its package. Consider your product’s shape, size, weight, and fragility. For example, if you have a small and fragile product, consider a smaller package where it won’t shift around too much and be sure to provide enough cushioning.

Ways To Improve Your Shipping

1. Consider Using Multiple Shipping Locations

If your customer base is spread across the country, it’s important to consider shipping orders from multiple locations. Why? It will mean you can ship from facilities that are closer to your customer, which means you can improve customer satisfaction and shipping times without the added expense.

2. Adopt Shipping Streamline Practices

The shipping process you use will affect the quality of your deliveries and can affect your ability to satisfy your customers’ expectations. Here are a few ways to streamline your shipping:

• Using the latest fulfillment technology
• Enlisting the help of a fulfillment center to handle high order volumes
• Creating an effective return policy that makes it simple and easy for customers to return orders.

An Experienced 3PL Can Help

If you’re struggling to meet the high expectations of your customers (or even if you aren’t), be sure to consider enlisting the help of an experienced 3PL like Fulfillment Works. We have the technology, tools and skilled staff you need to efficiently ship and deliver your products from multiple facilities across the United States.