As an ecommerce small-medium business (SMB) owner, your top priority is making sure your customers are delighted with your products, and that delivery is shipshape, fast!
But here’s the thing: if your shipping and delivery processes aren’t smooth, that customer delight you’ve worked so hard to achieve can quickly turn into frustration and dismal business operations altogether.
This is where delivery management software comes in, saving the day for ecommerce SMBs. Let’s get you on the best road! In this article, we’ll explore why this technology is key to ecommerce success – and help you get shipping right.
Why logistics is crucial for ecommerce businesses
Imagine you own an ecommerce boutique selling handmade jewelry, similar to businesses like Etsy shops. You’ve spent months sourcing beautiful materials, crafting unique pieces, and creating an Instagram page that’s getting some serious buzz.
Orders are coming in. But when it comes time to ship out those beautifully crafted necklaces and earrings, your fulfillment process feels like a tangled chain of inefficiencies.
When shipping goes wrong, it can lead to late deliveries, incorrect addresses, or even lost packages. These logistics mishaps can harm your brand’s reputation, increase costs, and lead to unhappy customers.
In the ecommerce world, word travels fast, and one bad shipping experience can cost you a customer forever.
How can delivery management software help me?
Grand View Research reports changes in the purchasing habits of consumers have significantly facilitated the expansion of ecommerce.
“Due to time constraints, a need for a smooth shopping process, and the ease of online buying, consumers increasingly select the digital marketplace,” reads the report.
It adds that with the increasing use of smartphones and tablets, mobile technology especially has been essential in allowing customers to buy seamlessly from any location.
With the growing significance of mobile commerce, businesses must optimize their mobile user experience to enhance conversion rates.
So, what’s the solution for your business? Enter delivery management software.
Delivery management software is designed to streamline logistics, optimize routes, and ensure that your products reach customers quickly and efficiently.
It provides visibility over the entire delivery process—from the moment an order is placed to the moment it lands on a customer’s doorstep.
Manage high order volumes in your online store
Picture this: You run a skincare ecommerce store specializing in organic products. With the holiday season approaching, your marketing campaigns are working like a charm.
Online marketplaces can help manage high order volumes by providing built-in discovery and traffic.
Orders are flooding in faster than you can say “moisturizer.” While you’re excited about the surge in sales, there’s one nagging worry: getting all these packages shipped out accurately and on time.
Without delivery management software, you’d be left scrambling with spreadsheets, manual tracking, and no real insight into how to manage delivery spikes. But with the right system in place, you can:
- Auto-assign deliveries to couriers based on location and availability.
- Track orders in real time, so you and your customers know where packages are at all times.
- Reduce errors by automating address verification and alerts for any potential issues.
How to implement same-day delivery on your ecommerce website
Picture this: You’re a niche clothing brand based in the US, competing with other local ecommerce boutiques.
You’ve built your brand around offering trendy outfits for last-minute events. Many of your customers want next-day or even same-day delivery—but this level of service is a nightmare to manage manually.
A delivery management solution can:
- Optimize routes so that drivers take the shortest, fastest path to each customer’s address.
- Combine multiple orders for nearby customers, reducing fuel costs and speeding up delivery times.
- Provide ETA notifications to customers, so they’re always informed about when their new outfits will arrive.
Locate2u has delivery management software that can help your SMB deliver to customers on time.
Benefits of delivery management software for returns
There’s another side to shipping ecommerce businesses may dread – returns! These are an inevitable part of ecommerce, especially in fashion or electronics. Without a streamlined system, handling returns can be time-consuming and costly.
A robust ecommerce website can handle high traffic and transactions, which is crucial for managing returns efficiently.
Doddle was founded in 2014 by Tim Robinson and Sir Lloyd Dorfman, founder of Travelex. The company works with over 900 retailers and logistics providers worldwide to manage first and last-mile delivery.
A report by Doddle found that 75% of merchants say improving returns is a high priority.
Here’s a scenario: You sell tech gadgets through your online store, and one of your most popular items has a high return rate due to compatibility issues. With delivery management software, you can simplify the return process by:
- Setting up return pickups, so customers don’t have to leave their homes.
- Tracking return packages in real time, ensuring they reach your warehouse promptly.
- Minimizing costs through automated reverse logistics, cutting down on unnecessary expenses.
How can real-time tracking help my online shopping business?
Real-time tracking is one of the standout features of delivery management software, providing small-medium ecommerce businesses with complete visibility over their delivery operations.
This feature goes beyond just tracking packages. It can enhance communication and boost customer satisfaction. Electronic commerce has transformed retail by providing convenience and accessibility.
Take a small ecommerce store selling artisanal coffee beans. It’s the holiday season, and orders are flying off the digital shelves.
With real-time tracking, you can see exactly where each order is at any given moment, identify any delays, and quickly resolve issues. This way, you can notify customers proactively if their delivery is running late, showing them that you care about their experience.
NOW READ: Essential guide to recommerce: Benefits, best practices and beyond
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About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
