If you do a lot of shipping, it is likely that you have a
lot of online customers. It is possible that you have no brick and mortar
location and rely on the internet for all of your sales. This is great, but
customers can be quick to switch between online businesses. There are many
strategies you can use to keep their attention on you, but you may not have
considered how your shipping can be a big impact as well.
Be sure to package
everything well. This is, of course, your biggest priority when it comes to
items you are shipping. We already wrote a blog post about packaging
properly, so check that out if you need a refresher. So why is this
important? It’s not just important because you need your products to arrive in
good condition, but because you want your customers to see that you know what
you’re doing. If you ship out a product using the wrong packaging materials,
customers may not trust you to ship them products again, even if the product
arrived safely. Check out our packaging
supplies guide for more details about choosing the right supplies for the
job.
Make your packaging
stand out. This doesn’t mean that your box or
mailer has to be a bold color, though it certainly can be. Glamour
bubble mailers, for example, are sure to grab your customer’s attention.
But you can also add a company label that clearly
showcases your brand. Ideally, your customers will receive a package and know
it is from you.
Make it easy. Have
a receipt printed and easy to spot inside the packaging. Include a phone number
your customers can call if they have any concerns. You may also choose to
include information about returns. While this may seem like it is encouraging
customers to send something back, it is the opposite. Customers will appreciate
having the information right in front of them in case something is wrong,
versus having to check all over your site or give customer service a call. You
really don’t want negative reviews due to issues with your products.
Add incentive to return.
There is a multitude of ways to do this. The easiest way to do this is to
include some type of coupon for a future purchase. This can be a general coupon
or, even better, specified to the type of product your customer just bought.
Including information leading to a survey, with a chance at a prize, is another
great way to get feedback and keep your customer’s attention. Drawing a
customer back in is incredibly important, especially in e-commerce.
Include information
about your website, social media presence, etc. This may be included on
paperwork or some type of flyer. It will remind your customer of your website
and point them towards social media. This is also a great way to ask them to
sign up for an email newsletter. Making a connection in the digital world is
extremely important, so use this opportunity to do so.
Make it personal. This
is probably the easiest step of all. Simply including a note, handwritten or
not, is a great way to show you appreciate your customer’s business. Depending
on the industry you may even choose to include a free sample. This really
stands out and will make you stand out as a company.
