Topic of the week – Carrier Management and After-Sales solutions are becoming more important for Retailers
As the cost of everything increases, rising consumer demand has been bringing up operational costs for retailers everywhere. Retailers are now understanding the importance of streamlining their operations including bringing together different delivery options and faster lead times by implementing stronger carrier management. Alongside this, changing consumer expectations are forcing retailers to take a closer look at their post-purchase engagement and solutions.
Research from Scurri showed that 90% of shoppers consider regular order updates as a ‘non-negotiable’ factor when it comes to shopping online. Many retailers are now exploring different after-sales solutions and opportunities in order to unify their brand, operations and customer experience throughout all buying channels. In doing so this creates a streamlined experience for not only the customer but the retailer too. Giving customers the ability to check the status of their order, real-time tracking, regular email updates and an easy to use, effective customer service system eliminates unnecessary customer service queries and saves the time spent answering WISMO (Where Is My Order) requests.
Most importantly, alongside post-purchase solutions, retailers are looking to improve their carrier management in order to boost the customer experience. Generating seamless operations with partnering carriers, as well as being able to provide a range of delivery options means that customers can receive, faster, more efficient and cost-effective fulfilment. Scurri’s research also showed that 87% of enterprise businesses have adopted carrier management providers with 82% of mid-market retailers doing the same. Adopting a unified approach to carrier management, delivery and after-sales experience creates a streamlined approach for the retailer as well as the end consumer.
At Pro Carrier, we recognise the importance of this which is why our carrier-agnostic approach is celebrated by retailers. With access to a range of final mile delivery partners, a dedicated, bespoke tracking portal and frequent customer updates means that you don’t need to look for multiple third party software or carrier management providers, it is all combined within our international and domestic eCommerce solutions. And the same goes for online returns.
In other news
Ecommerce Europe, the ‘sole voice of the European Digital Commerce sector’, is advocating for better enforcement of the European eCommerce market regulations. To make it fairer for EU based companies Ecommerce Europe are calling that existing legislation and regulations regarding, product safety, consumer protection , counterfeit goods, privacy and data protection etc. is enforced across the whole European market. As this is currently not the case, non-EU based companies that are targeting consumers within the European eCommerce market have an unfair advantage over those who are bound by existing rules and regulations. Ecommerce Europe and other national association members state that enforcement should be just as strong for those outside of the EU as it is against those who are EU based.
eCommerce Market Stats
See some statistics relating to this week’s topics in the eCommerce market below.
Carrier delivery and post-sale stats
- 86% of customers put post-purchase as the main reason influencing repeat purchases
- 90% of consumers think that the post-purchase experience is just as important as product quality
- 75% of consumers prefer faster customer service response times to queries
- 49% of online shoppers said that they made more impulse buys after receiving a more personalised shopping experience from a retailer
- 22% of online shoppers abandon carts due to longer delivery times
*Statistics sourced from Salesfire, tokinomo, SuperOffice, hotjar
That’s all for this week…
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