As a business owner, you probably know by now that timely and efficient delivery is one of the keys to maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty – and therefore retaining them. But what about stepping into the same-day and next-day space? Too hard? Or too good an opportunity to pass up? We asked our Chief Operating Officer, Charmaine Tham, for 4 reasons to take another look at business delivery.
Delight – not disappoint – your customers
One of the biggest benefits of same-day and next-day eCommerce delivery – if done well – is vastly improved customer satisfaction. “With Amazon now basically providing next-day delivery as the norm, customers do expect fast and efficient delivery, and offering this can exceed their expectations. Don’t offer it, or offering a version of it that’s slow, late and frustrating, and you’ll wonder where your business is going – customers won’t even tell you, they simply change where they shop. So it’s critical to delight customers if you want to keep them – and a fantastic delivery experience is the great place to start. Bring on the positive reviews, word-of-mouth referrals, and repeat business!,” says Charmaine.
She advises business owners to check their carrier’s delivery performance and customer satisfaction metrics – to compare, Deliver In Person consistently delivers on time, in full – our performance to date has been 99.9% and customer satisfaction 4.9/5.
Abandon ‘cart abandonment’!
Your delivery choices can be profitable well before the parcel’s out the door.
“Customers are more likely to make a purchase if they know they can receive their order quickly and with certainty – many carts are abandoned over lengthy or unclear delivery timeframes,” says Charmaine.
This is even more true leading up to peak sales events such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Afterpay Day; and gifting occasions such as Christmas, Easter, and Mother’s or Father’s Day. If your products are consistently left withering away in the cart, Charmaine recommends doing a trial with a same or next-day delivery carrier and see if that improves your conversion rates.
Big picture cost-effectiveness
How much time and effort do you currently spend tracking down late or lost parcels? What would a 5 or 10% increase in sales volume add to your bottom line? What if you could reliably increase your stock knowing you can capitalise on last-minute sales right up to the 23rd of December and know they’ll be delivered safely?
Firstly, next-day and same-day delivery is not as expensive as you might think, and with a carrier like Deliver In Person, is easily forecast with flat-rates and no hidden charges, peak fares, or fuel surcharges. Charmaine suggests, “Don’t just look at the cost per delivery, but consider the real cost of dealing with a careless carrier who doesn’t represent your business well – it’s hardly an economy.”
Transparent visibility
Your customers love it, and you will too – it’s real-time tracking Uber-style, which you don’t get with traditional postage! If you’re sending a precious or high-value order, you can rest easy seeing exactly where your parcel is located, and when it’s handed over to the customer.
“Our use of these tools is a big contributor to our 4.9 / 5 customer satisfaction rating – customers love transparency and being in control” says Charmaine. “We even message the customer a few minutes before arrival so they’re ready, which increases our delivery success and the chance for a friendly ‘hello’ from our drivers! In fact, more often than not, we have recipients eagerly waiting by the door for a superfast, happy handover.”
At Deliver In Person, we are always happy to have an obligation-free chat to businesses looking to learn more about this space and how you can differentiate delivery experience for your customers.
Contact us on our company page, Darren Kawalsky or Marina Vaxman and we’ll be in touch!