Come 2023, global retail sales via the e-commerce market will cross the $6 trillion mark. This is almost double of what the e-commerce retail market was valued at in 2019. Numbers like these give one hope that investing in the e-commerce market would be a timely decision right now.
The U.S. e-commerce market sales alone will cross the $1 trillion by the end of 2022. That means the market is up and running in the U.S. as well, just like it is in countries like China and India. Thus, the opportunities are everywhere. However, for the businesses to succeed, entrepreneurs need to ensure several things, one of which is efficient and fast countrywide delivery.
Most e-commerce business owners are aware of the importance of shipping efficiently and quickly, especially when they deliver countrywide. However, it’s easy to overlook some key elements that will help you achieve this goal. Here are a few tips for running a successful e-commerce business with efficient and fast countrywide delivery.
Create a Flexible Shipping Policy
The best way to manage shipping costs and make sure your customers aren’t overcharged is by creating a flexible shipping policy that factors in the weight and size of each item. Use an e-commerce shipping calculator to determine what each delivery cost should be. It’s also a good idea to offer flat rate shipping or free shipping whenever you can, so long as it doesn’t compromise on quality or service.
If you offer combined delivery, which means sending multiple products together in one shipment, give your customers discounts for doing this. This will encourage them to buy more from you because they won’t have to pay for more than one shipment at once. Since most people don’t like waiting around for their packages, this makes sense for both you and your customers.
Adapt Your Products to Best Serve Your Customers
If a product is too bulky, consider splitting it up into smaller parts or find another way to deliver it. The same goes for large software orders that are sent digitally. You can use this opportunity to try out new ways of delivering digital information through webinars, live chats, or even video conferences. By doing so, you’ll be able to see what works best for your customers and then offer them more options in the future based on their preferences.
Work with Fulfillment Centers
When it comes to logistics, working with fulfillment centers that are close to your customers is a great way to make sure the products get where they need to go in a timely and efficient manner. It’s also important that you make sure your e-commerce fulfillment center has all of the equipment and logistic means necessary for efficient operations.
Another thing worth keeping in mind is whether or not employees in the fulfillment center have experience with e-commerce businesses like yours. This helps them work with both small and large-scale deliveries. Otherwise, you’ll end up losing business and the trust of many customers.
Set up a Customer Service Team
To provide a smooth and efficient customer experience, you need to have a customer service team in place. This team can help with returns, refunds, and other customer issues as well as shipping issues such as tracking numbers and delays. The best way to ensure that your customers are satisfied is by having someone who knows the ins and outs of your business available at all times for questions or concerns.
There are a lot of ways to provide great customer service. Here’s how you can do it:
- Have a live chat box on your website where people can ask questions or report problems
- Have a phone number on your website where people can call to get help with their orders
- Have an FAQ page for common problems so that people don’t have to wait for hours on end to talk to an agent when they can just read through the information themselves
Invest in the Right Technology
You don’t want to waste time on tedious tasks, especially when you could be focusing on revenue-generating activities. The right e-commerce software can automate many of the processes that are integral to running your business, such as handling inventory and shipping, customer service, and orders.
It’s important to choose a software provider that can meet all of your needs and not just what’s in it for them. You should be able to test out their product before committing. This way, you’ll know if their solution works for you before making any long-term plans.
You can also turn to data analytics to yield better sales and performance. Data analytics is a powerful tool for e-commerce businesses, as it can be used to analyze customer behavior and make recommendations based on that behavior. Using it properly will help you achieve the results you’re looking for from your e-commerce platform.
Since the pandemic, entrepreneurs are investing more money in e-commerce businesses, and are also increasing the budgets of existing ones. Much of this budget goes into ensuring efficient supply chain management, incorporation of new technologies, and efficient shipping practices. Therefore, unless you too work on your delivery tactics, you’ll fall behind and ultimately fail to help your e-commerce business succeed.
