As a small business owner, you work hard to ensure your customers have the best possible shopping experience during each stage of the transaction. All businesses know that in order to be successful, customer satisfaction is everything. However, there’s one part of the customer experience you have very little control over – delivery.
Did you know that the experience your customers have during delivery can impact whether they continue to shop with you? If you want to keep hold of your customers, it’s vital you choose a good, reliable shipping service. Here you’ll discover the top things to consider before selecting the right courier.
Choosing the right packaging
One of the most important decisions you need to make before shipping your products out, is the packaging you’re going to use. Now, there’s actually a few things to think about when it comes to packaging. Did you know for example, that how you package the parcel could determine how much you need to pay to ship it?
Some couriers charge based upon the size of the parcel, while others charge based upon the weight. So, if you’re using a lot more packaging than you need to, you could end up paying more for shipping!
Ensuring parcels are secure
Of course, another thing you need to consider is the security of the parcels. If you want to ensure the packages reach their destination safe and sound, you need a reliable courier such as TNT. They provide several different secure services including dedicated vehicle for international shipments and final mile for domestic services.
If your parcels arrive with your customer damaged or opened, it’s going to have a significant negative impact on your reputation! So, always double check you’re choosing a trusted, experienced courier to handle more sensitive deliveries.
Working out the costs
All businesses want to save money, but there are a lot of mistakes you can make with e-commerce shipping that can quickly drain your budget. Not charging enough; particularly for international delivery, is one of the biggest and most costly mistakes you can make. Do you offer same day delivery? If so, it’s worth negotiating with a courier to receive the most competitive rates for regular same day deliveries.
There’s also the cost of returns to consider. Do you have a returns service available? A good courier will offer competitive rates on both delivery and returns services.
Overall, your business needs to understand just how important choosing the right e-commerce shipping provider is. When dealing with any type of shipping, there are a lot of factors to consider and the above are just some of the most important.