4 steps to optimise your customer experience through delivery

In e-commerce, delivery is an important part of the customer experience. Indeed, if the delivery of the parcel is the customer’s first point of physical contact with the brand, how can delivery be used as a lever to build loyalty at every stage? Boxtal, the e-commerce delivery expert, shares its advice.

The process starts with the online shop: delivery times, prices, delivery methods, tracking, returns management… all information that will reassure (or not) the visitor looking for a product to buy or the customer worried about receiving his order.

#1 Surround yourself with the right logistics partners

Before configuring delivery on your e-commerce site, you must first equip yourself and find the right partners. And yes, it is not you, the merchant, who will deliver directly to your customers! Tools and carriers must therefore be as reliable and efficient as you are. The objective?

To simplify the management of your shipments and allow you to save time so that you can concentrate on your core business.

Choosing the most suitable carriers for your business

• express (for fast delivery in 24 hours)
• home (for a comfortable and timeless delivery)
• relay (for flexible and economical delivery)
• express (for a fast delivery in 24/48H, flexible and less expensive)

To adapt to your customers’ lifestyles, diversify your transport offers! By multiplying the number of carriers, you ensure that you satisfy all your customers’ needs.

Get the right delivery tools

But then a problem arises for the merchant: how can you diversify your offers without multiplying the number of contacts, integrations, invoices, etc.? This is where e-commerce delivery solutions such as Boxtal come into play: they allow you to centralise as many carriers as possible in a single tool that you only need to connect to your site, via a module (or plugin) if you use a CMS or via a connector if you sell on the marketplace.

Ideally, you should find a solution that is compatible with all the platforms you use, easy to connect and easy to use – no need to hire a developer, remember, the aim is to make your life easier!

#2 Inform your e-commerce site of the delivery terms and conditions

Once you’ve got your solution set up on your online shop, you’ll need to communicate key information to your visitors.

What delivery information should you provide?

Your delivery conditions must be as precise as possible. This transparency is a precious sign of confidence for your customers. At the very least, mention the following elements: delivery methods (and possibly the associated carrier), delivery times, prices, tracking information, returns policy, etc

Where to communicate your delivery conditions?

You can detail them on a page dedicated to delivery, accessible from the home page. This is where your prospects and customers will go if they have any questions. It is therefore a reference page in the same way as your general terms and conditions of sale or your contact page. You can also deal with the subject in your FAQ if you have one. Lastly, make sure you communicate this on your product sheets and in the shopping cart.

#3 Take care of the packaging of your packages to enhance your brand image

The preparation of your parcels is not just about protecting the goods during transport. If your parcel is to arrive in good condition at its destination, you should go a step further and take advantage of this first physical contact with your customer: packaging is an important element of the customer experience!

Daring a touch of originality is what will allow you to stand out from your competitors but also to leave a mark on the recipient’s mind. However, beware of complexity: don’t overdo it, your package must remain readable.

Personalising the packaging will also be appreciated, and this can be done simply: inserting a thank you card and a promotional leaflet inside the package can be enough to touch your customer.

Always remain consistent with your positioning. The packaging of your parcels must reflect your brand image and not betray it by sending the wrong message. If your pricing policy is aggressive, do not choose a very elaborate and luxurious packaging. Respect the precautions to protect the goods but translate an optimal price/product ratio by a simple packaging. If on the contrary you are positioned in the luxury sector, you must make your customer enter your brand universe as soon as you open the box (perfume spraying, paper fibre padding in the colours of your brand…).

#4 Manage the delivery experience after the order is shipped

Once the order is placed, the package is packed and handed over to the carrier, what happens next? The shopping experience continues: your customer is waiting to receive the goods they have just paid for on your online shop.

Offer online tracking to reassure

81% [1] of Internet users track their order at least twice, so you owe it to them to provide an online tracking link and to automatically notify them by email or SMS of the status of their order is a real plus.

By empowering your customers to track their orders, you can save yourself some after-sales service time.

You, too, need to be able to locate orders quickly in the event of a service contact. Keeping your customers informed is part of the shopping experience. Your e-commerce delivery solution should offer both an automatic notification option for your recipients and a clear, centralized tracking interface for you.

Facilitate the returns process to re-engage your customers

As an e-tailer, you will be faced with returns at some point. The law allows for a 14-day withdrawal period from receipt of the product (and without justification). There’s no need to avoid it, so make it an asset. Making returns easy, for example by communicating openly about the terms and conditions on your delivery page, is a good way to turn a disappointment into a positive experience. If it’s easy to send a product back to you, then why not try another one and place a new order?

Offer free shipping on the next order to build loyalty

A good way to encourage repeat purchases on your e-commerce site is to rely on free delivery, so think about offering free delivery on your next order!

Pro tip: did you know that 88% [1] of buyers have already taken action to be entitled to free delivery? Offering free delivery under certain conditions can be strategic for the success of your business: during peak periods to acquire new customers, from a certain purchase amount to increase your average basket or on a product to clear stock… But beware, without communication, you will have difficulty taking advantage of this argument. So remember to inform your visitors of this, right from the home page of your site.

About Boxtal

Boxtal offers an online multi-carrier shipping solution that enables e-tailers to diversify their delivery offer while simplifying the management of their shipments. Its mission: to meet their need for efficiency and speed while making delivery the key asset for their growth, in France and abroad.