Ahead of the holidays, a new nShift guide aims to help retailers maintain customer experience excellency
Ahead of the holiday season, and with many people likely to be away from home for prolonged periods, nShift is reminding retailers of the need to exercise care and maintain customer experience excellency to ensure people receive and are satisfied with their deliveries and returns.
As the global leader in delivery management nShift has released a guide specifically on this topic to help. Available to download here, ‘Delivering to customers and rebuilding loyalty’ is a guide that examines four ways for online retailers to encourage repeat purchase and drive sales through an excellent delivery and returns experience.
“As people leave their homes to go away, it’s a reminder, if one were needed, of the need to provide best-in-class delivery and return services to all customers - and at all times”, said Lars Pedersen, CEO of nShift. “How customers receive and return parcels is now such a critical part of the interaction that there is no one-size-fits-all approach so flexibility is the name of the game. Brands need the capability to cater to every customer irrespective of circumstance, which can potentially seem quite daunting. That’s why we’ve released our latest guide to help.”
In its guide, nShift suggests that a first-class delivery and returns experience should include:
- A range of delivery options – for some shoppers, speed is of the essence. For others, cost or sustainability is paramount. Providing a range of options can increase conversions by 20%.
- Clear communication – people want to know where their package is at each stage of the delivery process.
- The ability to serve new markets – if a shopper finds that an item can’t be delivered to where they live, they are unlikely to come back.
- An easy and accessible way to feed back – when something goes wrong, customers want a quick and easy way to raise the issue and get it sorted quickly. If they can’t find one, they will take their complaint to social media.
- The ability to return items easily – some 30% of delivered items end up as returns. For many customers, sending something back is part of the shopping experience. They expect it to be easy.
This follows a landmark ruling in the UK that has stipulated parcel firms must improve how they deal with delivery errors or face enforcement action. It was recently announced by Ofcom - the UK regulatory body - that those who send and receive parcels are to receive greater protection under new rules designed to improve how companies handle complaints.
The guide, “Delivering to customers and rebuilding loyalty” can be downloaded from the nShift website.
