Logistics is a determining factor to ensure a good experience for those who buy a product. For this reason, we created this article on shipments for entrepreneurs, with the aim that you can offer the best service to your buyers.
For a customer, the purchase does not end when he makes the payment but when he receives the product. In physical stores these two instances occur almost instantly. But in the , the time that elapses between one and the other can be crucial for that user to become a client. Or so that, definitively, it ceases to be.
Consequently, if you receive your order in conditions, in the promised time and throughout this process, you will probably buy again or recommend the service or product in your circle.
As sales volume grows, so must the shipping system. Whether it’s an entrepreneur looking to scale their store, an expanding SMB, or a large brand, it’s important to examine logistics for time and cost efficiencies.
Ultimately, shipping is often a purchasing decision factor, and high value or long delivery times can affect sales.
If you are wondering how to improve your shipments, it is because you noticed that the distribution and transportation of orders reflects a high operating expense. Or, also, because you understood that optimizing this aspect influences it and you want to improve in that aspect.
Next we present you three possible instances based on your sales volume, so you can recognize where your e-commerce is and understand what you can do to climb to the next level.
Getting Started with Shipments for Entrepreneurs: Branch Dispatch
Entrepreneurship is a challenge. Your is ready with the design of your brand and products loaded. Social networks help you make yourself known and the first inquiries begin to come in. You advise your potential clients because you know the product first-hand and you are excited that they are interested in them. And best of all, they sell!
Now it’s time to ship it and not all of us are logistics experts. The mail, the packaging, the delivery times, the communication with the client, everything is attentive so that the shipment is a problem. Unless you take advantage of the logistics systems designed for this instance.
Dispatch at a post office branch is a good alternative when the volume of shipments is low. You can spend time preparing the package in the best way, ensuring its correct shipment, especially if it is a fragile product.
Take the opportunity to put position indicator marks to facilitate transport by the mail company, or add some personalized detail to the packaging for your client.
We recommend that you be clear with the user regarding delivery times. There is nothing more unsatisfying for them than a delivery time promise not kept. Therefore, in addition to being honest when communicating it on the web, it is necessary to constantly give visibility to the stages of your shipment.
Keep him informed about when the package is being prepared, when it was dispatched in the mail and provide him with a tracking code, this will increase confidence in your store and you will not feel indebted to your client.
Finally, it is necessary to know the different logistics services that you have in the area, their costs and their coverage areas.
Technology is key in terms of shipments for entrepreneurs, since they facilitate the interaction between an e-commerce and logistics providers improving times and reducing costs.
The volume of shipments grew: collection of packages
The branch office option was an ally in your growth, but now you feel that it is no longer enough for you.
The time you spend taking each package to the post office threatens your other tasks or untying that work to someone who is not a specialist is not functional for you. Meanwhile, your sales are growing and you need a solution that suits your needs. Something like logistics tailored to you.
The collection service is designed for this moment. It is an option where you can gather a certain number of daily orders and ask a company to pick them up at your location or warehouse and take them to the different couriers in charge of the final shipment.
Surely it will be necessary to change some internal processes so that they can be aligned with this system, such as:
- office hours;
- wrap the packages in a certain way or;
- correctly indicate the volume of the packages to be collected.
If this task is automated, you will be able to take advantage of it, which will be reflected in optimized delivery times for your customers and lower costs for you.
The logistics problem is now a solution: fulfillment service
Some time ago a new term appeared in the logistics world of e-commerce: the . It refers to an end-to-end service where the stock (or part of it) is sent to a warehouse, so that a company dedicated to the item stores it and takes care of everything that happens after a sale:
- identify the product on the shelves,
- wrap it the way it was requested,
- give notice to a logistics provider,
- load the product in their vehicles and
- ensure the correct delivery to the final consumer, communicating the entire process through tracking codes or automated e-mails.
This series of tasks are carried out by logistics specialists, so not only does it professionalize shipments, but it also optimizes the delivery time of products, even managing to do them on the same day if conditions allow it.
The advantages of this service is that it can be used in combination with the previous one. In other words, you can continue using the collection service for those products with less rotation and send those that have more output or that you want to promote in your store for commercial reasons.
Create your online store for free!
Good practices for a good shipment
Here are some general recommendations for your shipments:
- Always communicate. Your delivery times must be visible from the first moment. Avoid surprises and win a recurring customer.
- Tracing. Keeping your client informed of the entire logistics process gives them a sense of tranquility and will help you provide personalized treatment.
- Upload the information of weights and dimensions of the products in your online store. Carrying out this configuration when creating your virtual business will allow shipping applications to quote costs more quickly and, in this way, you will offer an excellent service to your customers.
- Free shipping. Ideal for dates of high demand or for areas where your products are having a greater penetration.
- . If your time allows it, it is always a nice touch to give something more to your client. And nothing better than finding a gift, a personalized message or a detail when opening your package. Fact: there are logistics companies that offer it as part of their services.
- . A return is a headache. It helps to solve it by having reverse logistics options in mind, so that your client can send you a product again that did not meet his expectations.
- Analysis of the metrics. Logistics generates a lot of analytics data that can be used to segment an ad campaign or understand which logistics provider you performed best with over the past six months. We suggest you work with platforms that provide you with this data so that you can use it to your advantage.
We hope that these shipping tips for entrepreneurs will allow you to better organize the logistics of your business. And if you have a Tiendanube, get to know all the ones you can integrate into your online store.
Facebook Comments
Disqus