Brand interaction on the customer’s side does not end at checkout. Customers expect the products/services they’ve paid for to be dispatched as quickly as possible to complete their purchase experience. Late delivery times can lead to order cancellation and returns, which hurt the business and its bottom line. A good way to cut down on this is to find freight carrier by this link and choose the right one for your business and its delivery needs. Also, you can prefer Shipping Container Hire, which makes your shipping business easier.
With customer expectations on the rise daily, businesses need to create a solid delivery plan by partnering with a perfect delivery partner. In choosing that delivery partner, you need to consider your business, the shipping company, and your consumer’s needs. These three key considerations will help you select the perfect delivery partner, keep your customers satisfied, and ultimately cut down on order cancellations.
Follow these tips to choose the best shipping company for your business operations.
Know your customers, products, and competition
You need to know your target customer, product, and competition long before searching for and hiring a logistics partner or shipping company. This information can help shape your decision and narrow your possible logistic partners. In terms of consideration;
Your customers. Gather data on your customers’ location and how quickly they want their orders processed and delivered. Also, gather data on whether your customers are willing to pay for shipping and the urgency of their orders.
Your products. Perishable products should not stay an extended time in the delivery pipeline. You should also consider your product’s cost, size, and weight. The number of product units you may need to ship each week or month is also important data to consider. Overall, focus on the size, weight, dimension, urgency, average weekly order, and profit margin.
Your competition. Most often than not, your competition has done the research and groundwork. You can fit into the system by leveraging their framework. You can study your competition, how they handle order and fulfillment, and either emulate or improve on their existing framework.
Delivery Speed
Speed is an important factor in the business world. Customers are interested in how quickly and seamlessly they can go from wanting a product/service to having it. According to business data, more than 42% of customers prefer same-day delivery. Another 15% of customers admit to buying products from Amazon because they were promised a faster delivery timeline.
You need to know how quickly your potential logistic partner can deliver the ordered product to the customer. This delivery time and cost can help you choose whether they are the best option for you or not. If your customers want same-day delivery, a next-day delivery service provider may not be your best option.
Delivery Range
If you’re a local business serving your local community and surrounding areas, it is best to choose a local delivery partner to handle your logistics needs. However, as a national or international business, you may need to do a little more research into the available options and how they key into your business needs.
Your delivery range matters, and preparing to cater to this at the start is an excellent way to reduce future stress and order processing problems.
Tracking Capability
Tracking is an important part of the customer satisfaction funnel. About 30% of consumers rate consumer communication about the status of their orders as excellent. More business owners are losing customers to competitors because their customers aren’t satisfied with being kept in the dark during the order fulfillment process.
Your business can benefit a lot more if you choose a logistics partner that offers order tracking. With this, your customers can track the progress of their order while they expect delivery to be made.
Delivery Cost
The logistics partner’s delivery or service cost can significantly cut your profit or give you enough room to enrich your bottom line. With cost being an important factor, you want to balance service quality and pricing.
Consider whether your customers are willing to pay for faster deliveries. If yes, you can use this as an advantage to cushion your bottom line. However, you may not need to spend as much if your customers aren’t too keen on same-day or next-day deliveries.
Please note that current statistics reveal that 80% of online shoppers find free shipping a worthy incentive for purchasing items online.
Specialization
Specialization is an important factor to consider, especially depending on the type of products you offer. Perishable or fragile products require proper handling and storage conditions. You may need to further trim down your options based on how capable and specialized the logistics partner is in handling your product type.
Considering these tips will help you thin down your list of potential shipping companies. In the end, you are left with only a few options and the question of which offers the best cost to value.
