Boost Sales With Good Shipping Practices
If you’re running an eCommerce business and you’re looking to improve your shipping practices, then you’re going to have to do your research. Simply having a strong, quality product isn’t going to cut it, as your shipping practices play a huge role in how tempted a customer might be in purchasing it. Sometimes your shipping policies can make or break a deal, depending on the kind of customer you have. Of course, a lot of your terms will depend on what kind of shipping company you pick.
Evaluate your prices
The cost of shipping can sometimes shock the customer when they attempt to make a purchase, and you want that shock to be a positive experience. Before you think about changing your shipping costs, you should look into how much the shipping is costing you in the first place. That amount will tell you how low you can go, and from there it’s about finding a balance of low enough to attract more customers, and not too low that you’re unnecessarily losing out on profits. There’s a sweet spot where both you and your customers are satisfied with the shipping costs.
When it comes to your prices, there are more shipping practices you can put into use to attract more people. If you’re looking to encourage customers to purchase more products, you can do this with price thresholds. You might have seen on other eCommerce sites that they have offers similar to “free shipping when you spend $x”. While this lowers the cost of shipping, it encourages the customers to spend more when they’re shopping with you. Of course, you don’t have to make it free, but you can cut the price to a number you find more fitting.
Be transparent
Being open with the customer is important for any kind of business, but especially when it comes to shipping. Having contact with the customer through any means, like social media, email, or even your website allows you to be completely open with them.
Customers like to receive updates on their deliveries, as it tells them that their product is on its way, and they know exactly when it will arrive.
Being open about the costs of the shipping should also be considered. You don’t want the customer to get to the checkout, only to receive the surprise of a shipping cost higher than they were prepared to pay. It’s best to show it first and give them time to accept that price.
Take care
If you’re shipping off broken products to your customers, it’s going to leave a stain on your business. You need to take care with the products, and it’s a good shipping practice to put extra work into ensuring the product remains intact. Wrapping up products in extra layers and marking their boxes to show that they’re fragile is going to help ensure that any fragile items within the packaging are going to make it to the customer unscathed. A little extra care can go a long way, and you don’t have to worry about scaring off any customers in the long run.
In conclusion, it’s best that you’re able to maintain a healthy relationship with your customers, and keeping contact with them and their best interests in mind are going to take you a long way. No one is going to trust a business that lets their products get destroyed before it reaches their house, and the trust you build will help to grow your audience.