If you are an online seller, it is pertinent that you establish an understanding on how to ship items efficiently in order to maintain your business. Practicing poor shipping habits can definitely hurt your business significantly. After reading this you will have established an understanding on how to keep your customers happy when it comes to shipping their products.
The first important factor to great shipping habits is shipping the items on time. Once you have received the customer’s order, please try to ship the items the same day, if possible. Generally when customers order an item they are eager to receive. Procrastinating on shipping the customer’s order will definitely irritate them which is not good. Shipping orders in a timely fashion is important in order to establish loyal repeat customers!
Free shipping is also important when it comes to attracting and maintaining customers. Free shipping allows the customer to feel as though they are getting a deal which attracts them to buy more items since there isn’t shipping cost. Free shipping can be provided through using promotional codes or it can be a policy in general for your business. Many sellers feel as though they are losing money from providing free shipping; however, in the long run it is actually more profitable since it attracts more customers.
It is also important to search what you are shipping. Research the shipping cost on the item you are selling before it actually sells. FedEx USPS and other websites have free shipping tool calculators that can help you calculate the shipping cost of your item. It is also important that you choose the correct shipping boxes for your items. Choosing the incorrect shipping box could cause it to lose money. When searching for shipping boxes be sure to choose a box that is the perfect size for your item.
Also essential factor to being a great shipper is being as transparent as possible with the customers. Some companies have shipping policies that are multiple pages long. This is not ideal for the customer; this actually deters customers from wanting to order anything from the company. Customers enjoy content that is easy to read and access. So when it comes to your shipping cost, return cost, and other shipping factors please be as clear as possible so that your customer will know the expectations for shipping.
Shipping insurance is also very important as a seller. You want to always protect yourself as a shipper. Sometimes items can become lost, damaged, or stolen when being shipped to a customer. Usually insurance is affordable for items and it is a great investment. With insurance if a package is lost or damaged it will be covered. Purchasing insurance will keep you and the customer happy and protected. It is best that the seller covers the package insurance, if your customers pay for shipping, insurance cost can also be factored into the shipping cost.
When it comes to shipping internationally please be as careful as possible. Shipping internationally is great because it allows your business to be diverse; however, it can also be problematic since shipping internationally open doors for a greater risk of fraud.
After reading this article, you should have a great understanding on practicing great shipping habits. Use these tips to develop a plan to become a better shipper!