Retail businesses rely heavily on sales made up to, and throughout, the holiday season. Given inflation, the economic downturn, and ongoing supply chain issues, how can retailers position themselves for success? They must ensure that the customer experience is positive from the beginning of the purchasing journey through the end.
Speed, Cost, and Convenience
Customers appreciate speed, cost, and convenience when shopping online, contributing to the overall experience. Online retailers that utilize multi-carrier software have a leg up on the competition. By automating manual and time-consuming tasks, this type of software helps brands fulfill deliveries faster; using one post-purchase platform also enables retailers to streamline shipments across multiple carriers. This, in turn, saves businesses money, reduces human error, and allows for bulk label generation. Automated processes and tracking enable brands to respond more quickly to customer needs.
A Seamless Returns Process
An AfterShip survey found that 35 percent of respondents would not shop with a retailer if they were charged a fee for shipping or restocking when returning an item. About 27 percent of respondents indicated that the most frustrating part of an online return is slow processing times, while 23 percent indicated that paying a fee is the most frustrating to them.
Automated Returns
Returns notifications were a key factor for about 44 percent of the shoppers surveyed regarding what makes a returns experience positive. A notification process, with embedded and engaging marketing messages, can further encourage shoppers to purchase or exchange an item rather than return it.
An automated returns process streamlines the experience for retailers and customers alike. Retailers can simplify the entire process and make it more efficient from the moment a return is requested to the point it gets resolved by setting their own rules and conditions. This automation helps decrease costs, reduce returns, curtail overstocking, and create a more positive experience for shoppers.
Status Updates
Proactive returns status updates can help online brands increase customer loyalty and reduce inquiries. Updates can include pending status, approval or rejection of the return, customer shipment receipt, and the resolution.
Customer awareness of the return shipment’s estimated delivery date (EDD) can also increase conversion rates. When customers have access to their shipment status, retailers see a decrease in ‘Where is my order?’ (WISMO) inquiries. In fact, by offering proactive status updates, one retailer saw a 75 percent decrease in WISMO tickets.
An Easy-to-Navigate Website
An easy-to-navigate website can make or break a customer’s experience; they want to find information quickly. Visible links to order status, tracking, and return policy pages can help foster a positive customer experience and build trust.
The Returns Process Impacts Revenue
According to 27 percent of those surveyed slow processing times are at the root of their negative returns experience. An additional 20 percent of respondents said that an unclear returns process made the experience negative.
Retailers that offer a seamless and automated returns process can reduce customer frustration and enable customer loyalty; however, a negative experience may turn a customer away for life. It could also lead to negative online reviews: around 90 percent of customers look at reviews before making a purchase. Thus, negative reviews can significantly impact revenues.
In fact, Business.com states that “acquiring new customers costs 5 to 10 times more than selling to a current customer — and current customers spend 67 percent more on average than those who are new to your business.”
The Bottom Line
Despite external factors like inflation and supply chain issues, online brands that engage customers throughout the purchasing journey will set themselves up for increased revenue, happier customers, and a positive reputation. Those who overlook this crucial process risk falling behind.
The author Andrew Chan, is Co-founder and CMO at AfterShip, the game-changing post-purchase platform for online retailers such as Etsy and eBay and brands including TOMS and Kylie Cosmetics.
