Ian
Shipping can make or break your business. Even if your product is mind blowing, bad shipping can ruin your business.
So, you will have to make sure that your shipping policy floors the customer. A good shipping policy has both promising and competitive prices and delivery dates, while having room to surprise customers by over performing.
Word your policy carefully.
There is no room for miscommunication when it comes to writing shipping policies. Have accurate descriptions and only make promises you can keep. The mantra with shipping is that you are better off under-promising and over-delivering than vice versa. While promising a 24 hour delivery sounds impressive, it might be tough to service all customers who order. Even if one in 10 packages leaves late, a tenth of all customers will be disappointed. A simple change in shipping policy can matter so much. But on the other hand, promising delivery in 2 days AND delivering within a day can delight your customer. Where do you want to be?
Don’t try to lie when it comes to shipping costs.
Whether you admit it or not, shipping is a real cost for businesses and for customers. You might want to sound competitive in the ecommerce scene by under playing shipping costs. But it can torch your bottom line! Customers hate to know of charges in the last minute. However little it is, they have no qualms abandoning the cart. And that’s business psychology. So, let the customer know of shipping charges beforehand. Makes a difference!
Seek out feedback and act on it.
After the product is received, call and ask the customer if he’s happy with the purchase, the shipping and everything else. Take the blame when you deserve it. Don’t always blame the shipping partner! And if the customer deserves a replacement (even if it’s a shipping fault), make it happen. You win loyalty that way. Great service can cover up for mishaps, no matter where the blame truly belongs.
Shipping policy is no joke, end of day. Spend time, research, effort in writing one. You will see that it makes a huge difference to your business on the whole. A vacation is not all about your destination, it is also about the journey. Similarly, an online business is not all about your great product. Shipping matters equally. So do a lot of other factors, of course! You can start your great service offering with crafting the right shipping policy and working on delivering delight to the customer.
