In today’s market, it is easy to purchase products within a matter of seconds online. Large retailers pride themselves on getting the product from the customer’s screen to their door in often less than 24 hours. The shift to online shopping has shaken the marketplace and made it an essential part of the retail industry.
Optimizing Ecommerce Through Delivery
eCommerce delivery (eCommerce Shipping) is the physical transportation of goods to customers through an online platform. With the current growth of eCommerce shopping, retailers must be able to optimize this part of their business while also controlling costs. It is important to understand what consumers value from their eCommerce delivery services. Customers will purchase the products that they know will arrive first, for the lowest cost, and most consistently.
Faster Deliveries: Happier Customers
One of the most complicated aspects of eCommerce delivery is getting the product to the consumer as quickly as possible. The staple company associated with successfully lowering shipping time is Amazon with its “two-day prime delivery.” Many customers prefer shopping online to brick and mortar retailers because they know that they can get their products within a matter of a few days anyway. Over 60% of consumers are willing to pay more for products that arrive to their door faster (2). Knowing this, lowering shipping time must be at the forefront of every online retailer.
For smaller companies that are unable to provide these extremely fast delivery times, they will have trouble competing for sales in the broad online space. Even though small businesses are often unable to speed up their delivery process, there are other ways that they can compete for sales online. Small businesses often have a delivery team that packages and delivers a few different products right to consumers’ doors. Since they deliver locally and don’t have to sift through hundreds of products, they are able to get their delivery time down to three hours.
Managing Delivery Expenses
Another key dynamic of eCommerce delivery is managing the expensive shipping costs. If a business is able to lower its shipping costs, it can subsequently lower its overall price to consumers. The value of having the cheapest products on the market is priceless, especially in the realm of eCommerce delivery. The number one reason why online customers will take a product out of their online shopping cart is that they found an identical product from a cheaper vendor (1). Online browser extensions like Wikibuy and Honey will automatically compare prices across the internet to find you the best price for similar products. If businesses are not able to lower their costs associated with eCommerce delivery, they will lose online market share and online sales.
A business’s eCommerce delivery must be consistent for consumers. An advantage of selling online is that your customers can have 24/7 access to your products. Customers can see if products are unavailable or out of stock in the warehouse. To secure sales, a good eCommerce platform must be able to have a consistent delivery experience or the customers will move on to other alternatives.
No matter the size or scope of the business, knowing how to manage your delivery time, shipping costs, and consistent service will drive sales and market share. Thinking from a customer standpoint will allow retailers to improve the online buying experience. As eCommerce becomes a growing part of consumer culture, businesses must take these steps to improve their current focus on eCommerce sales.
References
(1) Dawson, Chris. “Royal Mail ‘Delivery Matters’ Report Preview.” Tamebay, 28 Jan. 2017, tamebay.com/2014/07/royal-mail-delivery-matters-report-preview.html.
(2) Jules. “A 10-Step Guide to Compete with Amazon’s Same-Day, Next-Day, and 2-Day Delivery.” Easyship, 18 Nov. 2019, www.easyship.com/blog/fast-
