Overview
Offering the right delivery options to your customers through your eCommerce website can make or break a sale. This is a simple and fundamental concept that you need to understand as an eCommerce store owner. Understanding the do’s and don’t’s of delivery options will help you understand how this drives better eCommerce sales:
Do’s:
- Offer free delivery to individuals who spend more than $x on your eCommerce website. You actually need to research your market and find out on what amount or more you can offer free delivery to your clients. An optimal free delivery threshold could be the right way to increase the average order value.
- Delivery does not always have to be free. Many people will gladly pay a premium for a next day delivery. You should always remember that convenience is a big part of eCommerce.
- Another way of driving sales is the ‘click and collect’ method. This is where offline meets online and drivers users into your store. This method is just ideal for retail outlets or trade counters.
- A variation of the above method is a delivery option where a customer can pick a time slot via a calender. This can also boost the conversion rate significantly. In addition, prompt the customer to choose the most cost effective delivery option.
- Offer free delivery with up-sells or cross sells to increase the average order value, but only if the customer spends more than $x.
- Also make your customers aware of your delivery rules. This should be made clear throughout your website. Put all the delivery rules on a separate page and be sure that you are consistent throughout your marketing.
- If possible, offer free returns on your website. Hence, customers could return stuff that doesn’t fit.
- Keep your customers informed while they wait for their delivery. You could incorporate automation as part of this process and build your relationship with your customers to increase customer loyalty.
- Choose a courier that can fulfill your delivery requirements and offer you high end systems support to manage prompt and precise deliveries. Sometimes, you might need your own logistics support, so go ahead and form that if you have access to the resources.
- Finally, choose an eCommerce platform and developer/s who can support your delivery rule requirements.
Don’ts :
Now that we have discussed what you ought to do, here is a little brief on what you should avoid while deciding on the delivery options for your customers.
- Never offer free delivery for all purchases. This should be used as an incentive to reward customers while obtaining higher average order values.
- Never hide delivery costs. Customers do not want to be taken aback when they are handed over a hidden delivery cost when they checkout. This can cause customer service issues and even affect conversion rates and make things too complicated for customers.
- Never work with a courier with poor service levels. This could create delivery issues and poor company image.
- Never copy your competitors. You never know they got their business tactics right. The right way forward is to research, test, and innovate where possible.
To summarize, you need to consider your delivery options as a key variable in your b2c eCommerce website that you cannot ignore. If they are done right, they can drive sales as well as conversion rates while increasing the average order value. If you cannot figure out your delivery options or do them wrongly, they can harm all of the above variables and put your competitor ahead of you.
Shivi Rao is a content marketer with Krish. She has worked in various industries spanning technology, science, rural marketing, startups & unicorns, eCommerce business, and digital marketing, believing that content is the foundation to facilitate the visibility of any organization and ensuring her words do the same. In her free time, you can either find her lifting weights in the gym or feeding the strays.
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