Use Shipping to Build Your Brand

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.