In today’s age, patience isn’t the key anymore, at least in the world of eCommerce. There is an increasing demand for the same day or next day delivery that makes delivery performance one of the top-most priorities for retailers. If we look at Amazon’s delivery performance, they have left no stone unturned to satisfy prime customers with a speedy delivery strategy. To keep up with this Amazon-esque experience and retain customers, other eCommerce retailers need to put in a lot of hard work to develop an effective product delivery strategy.
A negative delivery experience can cause irreparable damage to your relationship with customers. Nearly 84% of customers say they won’t return to a brand after a poor delivery experience. All it takes is one mistake to destroy your brand image and customer loyalty. As per statistics, nearly 98% of shoppers say that delivery has a strong impact on how a brand is going to perform in the long run.
Every business owner in the eCommerce industry is trying to convert buyers into repeat buyers. And to do that, eCommerce businesses need to fulfill delivery promises made to their customers. But, how can you ensure that?
The answer to this burning question is, getting the last-mile delivery right.
What Is Last-Mile Delivery?
Last-mile delivery is the movement of goods from a transportation hub to the final delivery destination, which is usually the customer’s delivery address. The main focus of last-mile logistics is to deliver items to the end customer as fast as possible. It’s extremely important to get your last-mile delivery service right as this is what differentiates one retail brand from another. So how can you improve first-time success in last-mile delivery?
5 Ways to Solve Biggest Last Mile Delivery Challenges
Here are 5 ways to help you ensure your customers get their orders on time the first time and consistently thereafter –
Let Customers Choose
For any eCommerce brand to grow, it’s extremely important you optimize your business around the needs of your customers. Similarly, letting your buyers choose their own delivery window can increase the chances of successful first time delivery. You can display a range of time windows on your eCommerce website at your point of purchase that your buyer can choose from as per his/her convenience. This also makes sure somebody will be home when the product is delivered, thus reducing the chances of RTO.
With Shiprocket’s automated NDR panel, you can act quickly on your non delivered orders. Once you do so, you can reduce the return to origin that happens because the customer’s delivery experience is broken.
You can also offer your customers to change the time window until the day of delivery, as it puts them in more control ultimately leading to customer satisfaction.
One such platform that can help you build a niche for yourself is Shiprocket 360. With Shiprocket 360, you can offer a 4-hour delivery window to your customers. With the help of a highly localized fulfillment system, you have the ability to assign demanded goods to your local merchant to achieve the same day or even the same hour delivery.
Automatic Notifications On Delivery Date
On the day when your product is set to be delivered, keep real-time tabs on your transport drivers’ exact location as that would help your customers receive automatic delivery notifications. Messages about the driver leaving the warehouse or completing a previous job can increase the chances of your customer’s availability during the time of delivery. In case the customer won’t be available at a particular time, he/she can also choose a later time slot for delivery.
Maximize Communication With Customer
Communicate consistently with your customers and about each step in the order lifecycle. This will work wonders for your last-mile delivery experience. Provide regular updates via SMS, IVR calls or emails so that the customer is up-to-date and has the leverage to amend their window time at each step. While it will reduce the number of incoming customer service calls, it will also boost your customer’s confidence in your last-mile delivery service.
Optimize Transport Schedule with New Orders
Customers are always placing orders online, for which you will need an omnichannel fulfillment system that can re-optimize transport schedules, as and when new orders are added. Such systems should consider the delivery areas, already confirmed deliveries, resources available and then evaluate the possible delivery time for new orders within the time period asked by the customer.
Proof Of Delivery
In the earlier days, a signature used to act as proof of delivery. But that is just not enough anymore. Electronic Proof Of Delivery in the form of a digital stamp is extremely important to complete the entire end-to-end fulfillment process. It ensures proof of successful deliveries and also contains information that can help you manage deliveries better.
Conclusion
If your last-mile delivery is done the right way, you will be able to provide an exceptional delivery service to your customer and can seamlessly adapt to the constantly changing omnichannel retail environment. eCommerce business owners need to be highly observant when dealing with courier companies must encourage them to provide the best delivery service. Last but not the least, one aspect that should never be forgotten is to provide the best post-sale customer service if your customers face delivery issues. An up-to-the-mark customer service, at this point, will definitely take your business a long way.
