9 Ways to Deliver on Your Customers' Fulfilment Expectations
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As we look back, it’s clear that fulfilment was a hot topic, with e-commerce headlines dominated by subjects such as free delivery and click and collect. With changing consumer expectations, it’s clear that ‘fast and free’ delivery is no longer simply a fulfilment option that’s nice to have. Failing to offer online shoppers a variety of attractive fulfilment options is often now a deal breaker.
Make sure your e-commerce strategy is successful by taking stock of your current fulfilment policies. Consider how you can adapt them to keep customers loyal and woo new buyers. Here are nine tips to get you going.
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- Provide Free Delivery Wherever Possible - All eyes were (as usual) on Amazon in 2015 when it came to fulfilment, as the marketplace continued to increase its range of cheap and convenient delivery options. Amazon rolled out Prime Now to a number of UK cities in 2015, making one-hour delivery a reality for many consumers. In fact, the quickest delivery of Amazon Prime Now was made in just 15 minutes. This new era of speedy and affordable delivery through Prime has caused a sea change in consumers’ attitudes. Many now expect this as standard everywhere online. These expectations are supported by a recent survey that revealed that 62% of consumers abandon their online carts when they discover delivery isn’t free. And 87% say free shipping is more important than fast shipping. Even if you can’t offer free delivery as a general rule, try to offer it free above certain thresholds, as part of a loyalty scheme or during special promotional events, such as Black Friday and the days leading up to Christmas.
- Offer a Variety of Delivery Options - In a recent survey, 64% of respondents said they had decided to buy from a retailer because of the array of delivery options. Consumers are looking for convenience. Over half (53%) of shoppers now expect their purchases to be delivered within a designated three-hour window, and 40% say they would pay more for the ‘perfect’ delivery slot. At the very least, aim to offer a relatively fast and reliable standard postage option of two to three working days. If you can offer same-day or one-day dispatch, all the better — along with a form of free economy postage, which could take a little longer to arrive. Whatever you can offer, be up-front with customers – both about delivery times and costs. Highlight these on your product listings and website so that consumers can make informed decisions – and to ensure there won’t be any disappointments further down the line.
- Offer Click and Collect - UK shoppers love being able to pick up their online orders from a local store at a time that suits them. For example, figures recently released by John Lewis show that during Christmas 2015 the company processed 50% of online orders through its clickand-collect service – up 16% on the previous year. This is a trend that’s predicted to continue. A recent report indicates that 70% of consumers now expect to be offered free click-and-collect service as standard. If you’re not offering click and collect as an option, you could well be missing out on sales. If you’re an eBay seller, you can use its Click & Collect programme, which runs in partnership with Argos. That way, you can have a physical presence on the high street, with customers able to pick up at more than 800 Argos stores across the UK.
- Plan Now for 2016’s Peak Periods - Online customers are becoming savvier when it comes to waiting for promotional discount events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In 2015, e-commerce sales on Black Friday grew 15.1% from the year before, accounting for 24.6% of total spending that day. These kinds of spikes can create fulfilment problems if you’re not prepared, leaving customers with a less-than-satisfactory delivery experience. In 2014, a reported one-third of online shoppers experienced problems with delivery on Black Friday, and many of these shoppers decided to finish their Christmas shopping in store instead.
- Consider Fulfilment by Amazon< - Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) is Amazon’s seller fulfilment programme. FBA can be a real bonus when it comes to peak planning, ensuring you can cover busy times and capture last-minute shoppers. If you opt in to FBA, you’ll automatically make your items eligible for Prime, which also makes them eligible for free nextday delivery. Prime members are big spenders who generally filter search results by Prime. And considering they amount to 80 million+ members worldwide, this is a group of shoppers that’s worth reaching. Amazon also recently announced that its sellers shipped more than a billion items worldwide via FBA in 2015, and on Cyber Monday sellers received 23 million orders. So if you’re not already using FBA, 2016 should be the year to seriously consider it.
- Try GSP by eBay - If you sell on eBay, consider using the Global Shipping Programme (GSP) to facilitate fulfilment when selling internationally. GSP is an easy way for business and private sellers to reach millions more buyers with minimal changes to current processes. It’s easy to opt in, and after that, all you need do is ship orders to eBay’s fulfilment centres in the UK. EBay then handles fulfilment, inventory and customer services on your behalf – and takes care of all customs and tax paperwork if you’re sending items abroad.
- Deliver on Your Promises - If a problem arises around fulfilment, let your customers know immediately and offer a full refund if they’re not happy to wait. Don’t make them contact you first. Give your customers a variety of ways to contact you, and make these contact details clear at the point of purchase. Use a tracked delivery service, so you can share tracking information with customers to reassure them their goods are on their way
- Make Returns Easy and Free - Knowing how to return an item is a key concern for consumers, in the event they receive faulty or unsuitable items. Highlight your returns policy on product pages, your website and invoices so buyers understand how to return goods. These days, it’s more or less mandatory to offer free returns, with 73% of shoppers expecting this and 56% who will switch to a retailer that does.12 Check out marketplaces’ returns policies so you don’t run afoul of their expectations. For example, eBay changes its policy at Christmas to ensure customers have 31 days to return items.
- Offer Outstanding Customer Service - Complaints are inevitable no matter how hard you try to avoid them. So have a robust policy in place for dealing with negative feedback, whether during or post-purchase. And responding to queries is your chance to shine, so aim to make a great impression. Have the right information when customers contact you and rectify any situation quickly – before they decide to vent their frustration through public comments on marketplaces or social media.
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