Here’s how customer conversion happens. A random person online browses the web for something they need. They come across your product. It looks interesting. They read the reviews, and they’re quite excellent. They visit one of your online selling platforms to check out the product. It looks legit enough, so they put it in their online cart. And they go straight to checkout. Then the waiting begins.
The customer’s giddy to receive what they paid for. They don’t mind the days that need to pass between the date of purchase and the date of product delivery. So long as the product arrives in good condition.
The product arrives. And the customer gets the most impolite surprise. Why? Because one, a few, or all of these product shipping fails happened.
Flimsy packaging
Perhaps you’re trying to lower your shipping costs. So you’ve done away with bubble wraps. Now you used no more than cuts of paper to protect your product from potential shipping trauma. And the actual box for your product has transitioned from a sturdier kind to something much flimsier. What you’ve forgotten to consider here is the possibility of compromised products.
That could be even costlier in the end. You will need to follow through with your return policy, after all. And that loses you money no matter from which angle you look at it. Plus, you gain an irate customer who’ll have nothing nice to say about the business you do.
Over-taped parcels
Go easy on packaging tape. Choose a brand that’s sturdy enough but won’t give your customers a headache when it’s finally time to unbox. Your customers wait for days for their order to arrive. You do not want to infuriate them with a parcel that’s taped all around as if you do not want what’s inside to be revealed. This scenario can be just as frustrating as flimsy packaging.
Late delivery
When you give an exact delivery date and fails to deliver on your promise, your customer has all the reason to be frustrated. After all, they will have to adjust their plans to accommodate your late product shipment. Your customer might have already scheduled a day-long date with their one great love who’s in the city only for 24 hours, and now you’ve ruined their plans. Expect nothing less than a strongly worded product review.
Make sure your product arrives on the exact day printed on your customers’ order receipt. Do that by competently managing your inventory, among other relevant strategies.
Early delivery
Early deliveries are only commendable when the customer receiving the delivery happens to be home. If the delivery is made to an empty house because the owner’s out not expecting anything important to arrive, you cannot expect to get a salute for shipping speed.
If your delivery is set to arrive earlier than expected, notify the recipient. That’s the least you can do. Do not expect your customers’ plans to adjust to your flaky delivery schedule. You’re the seller. You’re supposed to be the one doing the adjusting.
Missing parts
Consider this scenario: you delivered an awesome and well-reviewed product to a customer. It’s a modular cabinet. It’s easy to assemble. And your customer puts it together in record time. Only there’s a missing part.
Before shipping products, make sure quality control is in place. Check all items if they’re good to go. Even one missing screw from a modular cabinet could be enough to loosen the screws of a customer who won’t mince words about you online.
Wrong product
This is pretty self-explanatory. But let’s put it here for the sake of emphasis. Your customer orders something in particular from your product mix because that’s what they want or need. Sending them something else, even if it’s slightly more expensive than what they ordered, won’t make them happy.
You make a customer unhappy, and you’re not only risking losing one. That person will write unfavorable reviews about your product. They’ll tell colleagues, friends, and family about how you’re not worth it. You did not only lose in terms of customer retention, but you scored poorly in organic marketing too.
So do not cut corners with the systems you put in place for shipping products. Make sure you package them well. Make sure you partner with the best courier service. Your deliveries should be on time. If these are taken care of the way they should be, your brand can rest easy. No customers will get irate to the point that they call you out online for all to see.
