Internet shopping is bigger than ever and it is showing no signs of slowing down. However, the competition for your business is also stronger than ever and setting yourselves apart from competitors is the key to success. As online shopping continues to overtake high street demand, customers want a quicker and more convenient service – even from small businesses. Don’t let your company get left behind.
In the early days of online shopping, customers accepted that they would have to wait a few days to receive their purchase and there was less pressure to meet delivery targets. Those days are firmly in the past. Many online shopper lead busy lifestyles and require their purchases to be delivered in a way that suits their schedule.
So what do your customers want?
In a survey, 50% of online shoppers admitted to abandoning a purchase because of inadequate delivery options. This is a massive amount and simply offering “standard delivery” of 3 working days could be costing you a lot of money. So what are the other services that customer ask for that could bag you the sale?
- 31% – Fixed date delivery
- 24% – Click and collect service
- 24% – Next day delivery
- 13% – A 2 hour delivery slot
- 8% – Same day delivery
So not only do your customers want their purchases quickly, they also need some control over when their purchase arrives. Think about it, most of us simply don’t have time to wait in the house waiting for a delivery that could be delivered any time between 9am and 5pm and we shouldn’t expect your customers to do so.
What are the options for you?
To meet the demands of online shopping, delivery services such as UPS, Parcel Force and Royal Mail now have to offer better services to retain the contracts of many ecommerce businesses. In fact, Parcel Force are now offering 7 day delivery. This means that your customers can now receive their purchases on a Sunday. Let’s face it, this is long overdue as Sunday is the day that your customers are most likely to be in the house.
As with any business, it is wise to do some market research. Find out what expectations your customers have and what you can realistically do to meet them. There are a number of courier services available so shop around. Don’t simply go for the cheapest option, go for the company that can meet your needs the best or it may cost you money in the long term.
Posted on Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016 in E-commerce.
