- Retailers must prepare their infrastructure now, to
ensure consumer choice during peak season
- The "summer sales" season presents a great opportunity to
test infrastructure ahead of peak
- Retailers should embrace popular PUDO (pick up /
drop off) options
LONDON, April 23,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The speed and convenience of the
delivery is more important to Black Friday shoppers than deals and
discounts, according to research. Retailers must give
customers the delivery experience they want at the same time as
managing an uplift in demand during peak season. This is the
view of nShift, the global leader in multi-carrier shipping
software.
Black Friday – taking place on 29 November - remains one of the
busiest shopping days of the year. During the bargain
bonanza, people will flock in store and online in a bid to bag the
best deals. However, according to a survey of over 1000
consumers, "free delivery" and "fast delivery" are the top two
factors shoppers consider when pondering a purchase.
The research also highlights the importance of alternative
delivery and collection options such as "click and
collect".[1] This year, experts expect PUDO (pick up / drop
off) delivery options to be particularly popular. This is
when shoppers pick up their purchase from a locker or nominated
collection point.
nShift, the leading software provider that enables
multi-carrier delivery and experience management from checkout
through returns, has created five top tips for creating a winning
delivery experience fit for peak season:
- Give customers the delivery options they want –
retailers must prioritize delivery personalization and give
shoppers the shipping solutions they seek. While some expect
next-day deliveries to their front door, others would prefer to
pick up their parcel from a locker or nominated pick up
point. This is increasingly popular with home workers who
hate being disturbed during an important call
- Make the delivery options easy to see and
scan – badging and labeling options at checkout make
it simpler for the shopper to find what they want. For
example, adding a locker next to a shipping choice shows that it's
a pick up / drop off (PUDO) option
- Create re-marketing opportunities – by taking
control of order-tracking and delivery updates, retailers can
ensure communications are branded in their own look and feel.
This increases loyalty and sets the scene for remarketing
- Retain revenue from returns – as many as 30%
of Black Friday purchases risk ending up as returns. While
consumers do expect a straightforward returns policy, sent-back
items risk becoming the silent killer of peak-season profits.
The right delivery experience will help convert returns to
exchanges, helping the retailer retain revenue
- Work toward a greener Black Friday – shoppers are
increasingly eco-conscious and they make purchasing decisions
accordingly. The right delivery process makes more
sustainable delivery options available to consumers. It
should capture emissions related to deliveries so that businesses
can reliably measure – and demonstrate – the success of their
sustainability strategies
To create the best customer experience, each part of the
delivery process must work seamlessly together. This is also
essential for streamlining warehouse efficiency. Deploying a
series of individual point solutions to manage each aspect will
require multiple integrations and processes to bring it all
together. The more links in the chain, the greater the risk
of profit-threatening disruption and downtime.
David Carey, Senior Vice
President, Customer Experience at nShift said, "Making big
infrastructure changes during peak season is almost
impossible. But by starting to plan now, ecommerce and
multi-channel retailers can ensure they have the infrastructure
they need to 'go for gold' at the end of the year. The
forthcoming summer sales period creates a good opportunity to test
and learn to ensure that all aspects of the delivery process chime
together when it really matters."
Online retailers should center the business on a scalable
delivery management system to minimize the risk of
disruption. Doing so creates a better experience for the
customer. Crucially, it makes it easier for businesses to
track, collate and analyze data across the process. This
helps retailers better understand their customers and improve
performance.
nShift enables multi-carrier delivery and experience management
from checkout through returns. The platform includes
connections to over 1000 carriers, as well as supporting
integrations with more than 450 business systems, including ERP,
shopping carts, warehouse management systems, and more. With
nShift, retailers and warehouses can create a delivery experience
that includes checkout, book and print, order tracking and
returns.
[1] https://www.tidio.com/blog/black-friday-trends/
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