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1) Overview of WISMO (Where is My Order) in UAE and Saudi Arabia
Let’s paint a picture. Your customer has visited your eCommerce website, added items to buy in their basket, chosen one of many e-payment options that you provide, and checked out successfully. Already sounds like a win, doesn't it?
Yes, maybe from a pre-sales perspective, but the post-purchase stage of the customer journey has only begun. The after-sales or post-purchase journey takes over once your customer hits the buy button. This last part of the sales cycle is crucial for order fulfillment, and therefore, plays a huge role in customer satisfaction and retention.
Everything that happens between order placement and the delivery of the shipment falls under the after-sales journey. Most eCommerce companies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, like the rest of the world, partner with one or multiple logistics or third-party courier service providers (3PL) to oversee the entire shipping logistics of their business.
As the shipment starts making its way from the warehouse to your customer's doorstep, you will want to keep them in the loop and post regular order status updates. Failing to do so will most definitely flood your customer service teams with WISMO calls (Where Is My Order) from anxious customers.
2) WISMO - Where Is My Order in eCommerce in The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia
Anybody who has ever bought anything online knows, tracking orders can sometimes be tedious and frustrating. The most common cause for a WISMO in eCommerce in the UAE and Saudi Arabia is a lack of tracking visibility on where a shipment is.
Customer expectations used to be simple before the internet became the most preferred marketplace for buying things. But the sudden growth of the eCommerce industry in Saudia Arabia and UAE, coupled with the pandemic that forced people to change their buying habits, has led to a considerable shift in consumer expectation.
In fact, nowadays 93% of the customers expect visibility on the status of their order along with receiving regular updates. If those expectations are not met, they try to get in touch with you, either through your website, the email id, or call your customer service representatives to find more information on where their order is.
3) How Does WISMO (Where is My Order) Affect My eCommerce Business?
Since WISMO in UAE takes up about 40% of your customer support queries and a customer service executive spends roughly an average of 10 minutes per ‘where is my order?’ request, it takes up a big part of your operational costs. Not only that, but it also directly affects customer satisfaction.
This can spell doom for an eCommerce enterprise because, for most customers, brand loyalty is tied with the delivery experience. You must also note that customers who have had to make a Where Is My Order (WISMO) call would be unlikely to buy from the same e-tailer or eCommerce business again. Since returning customers are the backbone of any eCommerce business in Saudi Arabia or the world, your main aim should be to keep WISMOs to an absolute minimum.
4)How to Reduce WISMO (Where Is My Order) in eCommerce in The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia
4.1) Choose A Trusted Shipping Logistics or Courier Partner
Sometimes the answer is as simple as choosing the best courier company that delivers on its promise. The best possible way to avoid WISMO in UAE and Saudi Arabia is by preventing customers from needing to ask about their orders in the first place. Of course, that is an ideal situation. But choosing a proactive courier partner that shares the same level of commitment to serving their customers as you do can bring you closer to your goal. Many times a delivery exception or NDR (Non-Delivery Report) occurs because of a fake delivery attempt. Tying up with a trusted logistics partner would ensure that such cases do not take place.
4.2) Provide Realistic Delivery Estimates
In the world of eCommerce shopping, you do not want to overpromise and underperform. Provide realistic delivery estimate dates to your customers after taking into account all possible delays or glitches. The pandemic has hit the logistics industry hard and delays have become more frequent as several cities and countries go under repeated lockdowns.
Keep your customers informed if there is any possibility of a delay in their package delivery to avoid giving them unpleasant surprises. During peak buying periods, like Eid or other festivals, when you are swamped with orders, be sure to add a disclaimer for delayed delivery to your website and app.
4.3) Ensure Branded Tracking Page Integrations With App And Website
Setting up a branded order tracking page that integrates with both the website and the app, is great for managing WISMO in eCommerce in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Partner with a logistics intelligence platform like ClickPost that provides branded tracking page integrations with several online marketplaces and virtual stores.
Such logistics and carrier platforms import orders from all the marketplaces to their database and send out real-time order tracking details to your customers. This gives total visibility to your customers who are never left wondering where their order is.
Moreover, having a branded tracking page builds brand image among customers and improves their overall purchasing experience.
4.4) Send Tracking Information For Every Milestone
Most eCommerce businesses and courier service providers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia send out an order confirmation email once the order is placed. In order to keep Where-Is-My-Order calls in UAE at bay, you need to send tracking messages to your customers at every milestone.
Once an order is packed and shipped, trigger a notification with an estimated delivery date and an order tracking link. From then on, keep pushing out regular order status updates, like Order shipped, Order in transit (with estimated delivery date), Order out for delivery, Order delivered, Order delays. This keeps customers informed and helps them avoid any anxiety.
4.5) Language Localization
For countries as diverse as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, language localization on the product as well as tracking pages is imperative. Having a tracking page that is incomprehensible to your end customer is ultimately of no help and will not reduce WISMO calls.
Tracking pages with language localization features are an ideal way to address customer queries and bring down WISMOs. By removing the language barrier, online platforms provide customers a holistic experience that guarantees a seamless delivery outcome for all users.
4.6) Address common queries with a FAQs section
If you've noticed a pattern of questions around your delivery services, putting up a Frequently Asked Questions Page (FAQs) is a good idea. It can help customers be aware of how to track their orders or answer other delivery-related questions. The idea is to reduce the number of WISMO calls a customer has to make before getting an answer.
5) Final Conclusion
WISMO or Where Is My Order calls in Ecommerce are more common in emerging ecommerce industries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia. As an eCommerce business in the UAE and Saudi Arabia you should try to manage WISMOs by enhancing your services so that customers are kept informed about their orders every step of the way.
