A good shipping process is absolutely essential for an ecommerce business. If you can’t get your products out to your customers in a matter of days, you will lose business to the big online retailers that offer next day shipping as standard. A package only needs to be a day late before you start getting negative reviews, which is why it’s vital that you iron out any kinks in your shipping process right away. These are some of the most common shipping issues that ecommerce companies face, and how you can tackle them.
Out Of Stock Products
There’s nothing more frustrating for a customer than ordering a product, getting their confirmation, and then getting a follow-up email to tell them that it’s actually out of stock and they’ll have to wait weeks before they receive it. When they decided to make the purchase, you gave the impression that it was in stock and it wasn’t until they had already paid and you went to send the order that you realized you didn’t actually have it. This leaves a very bad impression, and you need to avoid this situation in the future or it will lead to a lot of negative reviews.
The best way to prevent this issue is to have a good inventory management system in place so you are altered when stock is getting low and when you are completely out of stock, so you can update your storefront right away. If it does happen, you could offer the customer an alternative that is in stock or give them a discount if they want to wait for the original product.
Shipments Getting Stuck At The Border
If you haven’t dealt with all of the customs paperwork and your shipments get turned away at the border, your customers will be waiting a long time for their products while you sort things out. That’s why you should always use a customs brokerage solutions company to help you with international shipping. Customs laws can be very confusing, especially if you don’t have any experience. A professional customs broker will handle everything before the shipment sets off, so you don’t have to stress about it being turned away at the border.
Broken Products
Products get broken in transit from time to time and there isn’t much you can do about it. Just make sure that you apologize and sort out a replacement right away and the majority of customers will be fine with it. But if this becomes a regular occurrence and you have a high return rate, something is going wrong somewhere and you need to take steps to fix it.
It could be down to your packaging, so consider whether it really offers enough protection or not. Investing in slightly more expensive packaging could save you money in the long term because you’re not paying for as many replacement products.
If you think that your packaging is fine, consider whether you should change your courier company. If you use an inexperienced company that doesn’t handle your products well, you will get a lot more breakages in transit.
These ecommerce shipping disasters can lead to a lot of feedback for your business, so follow these steps to deal with them right away. One key strategy is to minimize the risks of not delivering products to the customer is to collaborate with a fulfillment center. This type of partnership can provide many benefits, including reduced shipping costs and faster deliveries. If you’re looking for a reliable fulfillment center, one option worth considering is the James & James fulfilment center in Las Vegas. Located just 50 miles from the California border, this center is ideally situated for fast delivery throughout the US. With their years of experience and proven track record of success, James & James could be just the partner you need to take your shipping and delivery strategies to the next level.