Introduction
The importance of post-purchase customer experience is not lost on any retailer. Growing customer acquisition costs coupled with lower customer lifetime value amplify the need to provide an after-sales journey that’s next to none.
One of the key components of an excellent post-purchase customer experience is automated delivery and shipping notifications.
Receiving real-time order tracking notifications in a timely manner is a key factor for customers in deciding whether they will continue to shop with the brand.
While most ecommerce businesses and marketplaces send regular updates, some bootstrapped D2C brands have not fully utilized the potential of automated shipping notifications.
In this post, we’ll discuss some of the biggest reasons brands must automate delivery and shipping notifications, but let’s begin by finding out a little more about these notifications.
What are Automated Delivery Notifications?
Automated delivery or shipping notifications refer to the alerts or messages customers receive from the moment they complete an online purchase. These notifications typically begin with order confirmation and end with order fulfillment.
While the order milestones on which customers receive automated updates vary from brand to brand, some of the crucial milestones at least remain the same. They are - order confirmation, dispatched/shipped, out for delivery, and delivered.
Depending on the number and type of automated delivery notifications a company sends, customers would also be notified about any shipping delays. Keeping customers informed all throughout the way helps build trust and loyalty towards the company. It also reduces anxiety and doubles the excitement of buying something.
Some of the most common communication gateways to send automated shipping and delivery updates are - SMS, Email, WhatsApp, and In-app messages.
Top 6 Benefits of Automated Delivery Notifications for Businesses
We can’t stress enough how important automated delivery and shipping notifications are for a business’s continued growth and success. But if our previous discussion hasn’t convinced you, the following points definitely will.
1) Time-guaranteed deliveries
Customers receiving automated shipment tracking notifications are more likely to plan the arrival of the orders if they won’t be available to receive them.
This becomes more effective if shoppers also know their estimated delivery dates (EDDs). With automated delivery updates, shipping carriers work more efficiently to meet SLA terms, resulting in more time-guaranteed deliveries.
2) Fewer WISMO calls
WISMO or ‘Where Is My Order’ calls are the direct cause of not having enough visibility in the shipment tracking process. Research shows nearly 90% of shoppers want to know the live status of their orders.
Any lack of transparency in the delivery stage is enough to warrant a WISMO call. Automated shipping notifications offer customers much-needed assurance by keeping them in the loop. As a result, buyers don’t feel the need to contact businesses about their order statuses.
3) Higher customer satisfaction
An ecommerce brand’s product selection is not enough to woo customers repeatedly.
To stand out amongst the competition, retailers must focus their attention on providing an amazing end-to-end customer experience that doesn’t stop at checkout. This also ensures better customer retention rates (CRR) for any brand.
While an excellent line of products can get more shoppers to your store, it’s the post-purchase experience that will keep them coming back. And the most important part of it is maintaining transparent communication through automated shipping and delivery notifications.
4) Increased brand loyalty
A happy customer is not only loyal to your brand but also acts as a brand advocate, bringing friends and family to your store through word-of-mouth marketing. Repeat customers form the backbone of every successful business.
They are also the first ones to try out any new product ranges you introduce or check out the latest offers and discounts. Since ecommerce businesses thrive on business-customer relationships, it’s vital for them to streamline their automated shipping workflows.
5) Enhanced customer lifetime value and retention rates
Studies on shoppers’ buying behavior have noted that repeat customers spend nearly 67% - 70% more than first-time buyers. Because of their higher customer lifetime value, they are also 10 times more valuable for ecommerce companies.
The goal of any ecommerce business should be to turn one-time shoppers into loyal customers because the cost of acquiring a new customer is 5x more than retaining existing ones. Timely delivered automated shipping updates are one of the best ways to build trust and transparency.
6) Lower returns and RTOs
Product returns and return-to-origin, or RTOs, in the ecommerce industry occur for various reasons. While some issues, like not liking the product or not requiring it any longer, are beyond a company’s control, others can be managed with automated shipping notifications.
A big percentage of customers tend to return their items if they receive them after their stipulated EDDs or if they lose interest due to a lack of tracking information. Similarly, many orders become RTOs because of customer unavailability.
Constant communication in the post-purchase phase through automated delivery notifications allows brands and carriers to reach out to customers whenever needed. It also enables customers to contact retailers in case of an address change, unavailability, and more.
Automate Delivery and Shipping Notifications with ClickPost
In order to set up automated shipping and delivery notifications, ecommerce businesses must use shipping software with GPS, route-mapping, and API integration capabilities.
With ClickPost, online stores gain all those advantages and more. ClickPost’s integrated shipment tracking feature allows brands to send real-time order status notifications to customers at 9 major milestones.
These alerts can be customized to provide a consistent brand experience. With ClickPost, retailers can reach customers via SMS, Email, and WhatsApp. It also allows customers to raise a concern if their order gets delayed.
Such proactive communication gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to solve glitches in the supply chain and improve operational efficiency. It’s also extremely effective in reducing WISMO calls.
ClickPost strictly monitors the performance of 400+ carriers according to their respective SLA terms with businesses for timely delivery and sharing of live tracking data. Brands can even collect feedback post delivery to further streamline their post-purchase customer experience.
How do Automated Delivery Notifications Help Customers
Customers appreciate being kept in the loop because it shows them how much the brand values their time and satisfaction.
Automated shipping notifications eliminate the need for customers to manually track their orders through an order tracking page. This is great for busy days.
Moreover, the option to choose their preferred communication gateway offers shoppers a lot of convenience.
And lastly, keeping customers informed about shipping or delivery delays also gives them room to plan accordingly. This results in greater understanding and trust.
Conclusion
Today’s customers expect their post-purchase journey to be swift and transparent. Setting up automated shipping notifications is not only great for your buyers but also for your customer support teams who would otherwise be handling several WISMO calls in a day.
Moreover, automatic delivery alerts allow you to communicate with your customers better and provide an engaging experience from shopping to shipping.
Although marketing efforts to bring in new customers is absolutely vital for a brand, keeping existing customers happy is equally so.
Using a shipment tracking software like ClickPost is one of the easiest ways of ensuring timely live status updates across numerous shipping carriers.
FAQs
1) What types of shipping and delivery notifications must an ecommerce business send its customers?
Some of the most anticipated shipping and delivery notifications an ecommerce business should automate are - order confirmation, shipped, out for delivery, order delayed, and order delivered notifications. These can be easily sent to customers via email, SMS, and WhatsApp alerts.
2) How to set up an automated delivery notification workflow?
To set up an automated delivery notification workflow, ecommerce businesses must decide the number and type of notifications they would like to send. Next, they must tie up with a shipping software or fulfillment provider equipped to receive tracking data from shipping carriers and relay the information in real-time to customers.