Believe it or not, Santa actually outsources his shipping to third-party logistics companies these days.
'Twas the night before Cyber Monday, and all through the warehouse,
Not a package was stirring, not even a mouse...pad.
But lo and behold, what terror appears?
A tidal wave of orders to ship 'fore New Year's!
-An awful Christmas parody, by Mix-Mix Mail
The holiday season is upon us and that means peak shipping season is about to hit! Sounds good, right? Because "peak" can only mean good things, right? Like how "my life peaked back in high school and now it can only go downhill"?
WRONG. Peak shipping season usually means BIG delays to delivery, increased risk of damage to packages, and... worst of all.... increased postage fees.
But fear not! You've stumbled (possibly drunkenly and late at night) upon this blog post --and lucky for you we've written some Christmas gifts into it.
Here are five tricks to turn your e-commerce shipping from a Christmas nightmare into a well-oiled, gift-slinging machine.
1. Make Sure Customers Know What to Expect
Pictured: The kinds of e-commerce store owners that don't inform customers of holiday shipping deadlines.
Not telling your customers what kinds of deadlines to expect is like forgetting to wear pants to your family's Christmas dinner. You probably won't be shot for it, but you'll certainly be accused of things, some of which will involve extremely strong language (and words like "pervert" and "so hot you could set water on fire" being tossed around).
According to Shopify, a whopping 67% of online shoppers expect standard delivery within 2-3 days. That's pretty much the speed Amazon Prime delivery promises, which happens to be marginally faster than Santa when he's on one of his famous "night before Christmas cocaine benders". So unless you can absolutely guarantee that kind of speed (which, sorry to disappoint --you very likely can't), then make sure you plaster expected delivery times on everything.
Put expected shipping times on your website, in your emails, and up on social media. Your customers need to know what to expect when they hit that "buy" button, because if little Timmy's Christmas present isn't sitting under the tree in time for Christmas morning, your customers will be coming to flay you alive.
Because that's what Timmy demands.
2. People Like Options. Shipping Options.
Offering too many shipping options can be overwhelming for your customers. Not offering any shipping options at all is downright diabolical.
Free shipping, expedited shipping, same-day delivery by trained pigeons - the more options you give your customers, the happier they'll be... up until like 3 or 4. Any more options than that is just excessive.
Some people are OK with slow shipping, as long as they get it cheaper. Some people want their order to arrive ASAP, and are willing (maybe even... excited) to sell the soul of their first-born child to get it. According to a survey by Digital Commerce 360 and Bizrate Insights, 82% of online shoppers consider free shipping as the most important factor when selecting retailers to do business with. However, it's not just about free shipping. The same survey found that 38% of respondents value reasonable shipping fees, and 52% prioritize quality customer service.
What does all that mean? If we were to explain it to a 5-year old, we'd probably say something like: "People like free shipping. If they can't have that, then people at least like to pay less for shipping. Give people options, and they'll be more likely to buy stuff from you. Also, Santa and the tooth-fairy are dead and it was rampant consumerism that killed 'em, sucka."
3. Prepare For The Returnocalypse
Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now it's here. Or should we say... returns are.
Contrary to what the movies would have us believe, the holidays don't end as soon as the presents are unwrapped (and they don't end as soon as the couple gets together either; or when the family finally returns; or when Mrs.Claus stalks out from the North Pole with shotgun in hand, in order to eliminate all the children that are predicted to be naughty this year.)
Oh no, the holidays only end after THE AVALANCHE OF RETURNS HITS. Make your return policy clearer than glass and as comprehensive as one of grandpa's "war stories". Expect returns and be ready to deal with them. They'll be coming.
Need help navigating holiday shipping? Mix-Mix Mail is your e-commerce secret weapon. With top-notch facilities and a team of shipping monkeys, we’ll handle your orders faster than you can say "Merry Shipmas." Let us manage your e-commerce store's logistics while you focus on actually enjoying your holiday!