The most important time of the year for the e-commerce industry is approaching. For years the turnover in the Christmas business has been increasing due to the online trade and now amounts to 25% of the annual turnover. In order to guarantee the smooth delivery of your goods and satisfied, returning customers, we have compiled the 6 most important shipping tips for your online shop.
Selection of a suitable shipping service provider
As an online shop operator, you master a conflict of interest every day. On the one hand you want to offer your customers cost-effective shipping to singapore from us, on the other hand you don’t want to be responsible for any loss of quality or service. In order to make both the one and the other possible, you need the suitable dispatch service provider. Not so easy with the multitude of parcel services on the market. According to a recent EHI survey (2015), DHL, UPS and DPD continue to be among the most popular providers in Germany.
Shipping costs depend largely on weight, size (belt size) and the number of parcels shipped. Unfortunately, guidelines for standard sizes and maximum package sizes vary from parcel service to parcel service. Please note that if these guidelines are exceeded, surcharges may apply. In the worst case, some service providers even refuse to transport the goods.
A special feature is the consideration of the so-called volume weight. This is used, for example, by DPD for intercontinental shipments (DPD Classic) or by UPS for the general calculation of shipping costs. The latter compares the actual weight with the volume weight. The higher value determines the postage.
One or more parcel services?
In most cases, satisfaction with parcel services depends on personal experience and the parcel carrier. For example, the DHL courier in Berlin Kreuzberg may be very competent, the one in Munich Lehel rather unreliable. Accordingly, the trend is increasingly to let online shoppers decide for themselves which parcel service is to deliver the ordered goods.
Often customers are even willing to pay a little more for the choice of their preferred service provider. With smart shipping tools like SendCloud, you can give your customers a free choice right from the start.
Pricing
Various studies have shown that free shipping is often the decisive reason for an online purchase. A survey by Compete showed that 93% of customers feel encouraged to actually make a purchase because of free shipping. One common mistake is to communicate shipping costs later in the checkout process. In 56% of cases this leads to a cancellation of the purchase process.
Due to the sometimes low margins, it is naturally not always possible to guarantee free delivery. In such cases it makes sense to set limits above which free shipping is possible; for example, from a purchase value of 50 €. The positive side effect is that customers usually buy more than was actually planned. Besides e showed up that free dispatch, in which form always, more stimulates than a discount to the purchase.
Particularly effective are apart from exemption limits also temporally limited days, on which free dispatch is offered. Buyers are thus additionally stimulated to order.
Packing
The choice of the right packaging depends on various factors. In addition to safety and costs, sustainability is playing an increasingly important role. A recent study by the Institute for Retail Research has shown that 60% of online buyers are interested in the ecological commitment of online shops. More and more, your purchasing decisions are based on this.
Since the package size plays a major role in the calculation of shipping costs, you should consider the standard sizes of the selected shipping service providers to avoid unnecessary surcharges. Thin upholstery materials are ideal for keeping the spacing between components of a shipment to a minimum in order to save space when packaging shipments. As an alternative to air cushions, you can also use air posters, filling chips, baffle paper or vermiculite. The latter is particularly suitable for chemicals because it can absorb liquids up to 5 times its own weight.
Despite space-saving packaging, it is a must that the goods arrive undamaged at the customer. Damaged products not only cause annoyed customers, they also increase the return rate and reduce your profit margin. Not to forget the additional organizational effort. Accordingly, it is particularly important to use safe packaging material and avoid empty spaces when sending fragile goods such as glass or electronics. This is particularly important in order to avoid the parcel service’s exclusion of liability in the event of damage.
Insurance
No matter how well packed your goods may be damaged during transport. In such situations it is particularly important to keep a cool head and find a quick and satisfactory solution for the customer.
Whether discount on the damaged goods, sending a replacement or refunding the purchase price, the primary goal is to keep the customer despite inconvenience (for the future).