When it comes to delivery consumers expect their products as soon as reasonably possible. Thanks to the likes of Amazon, eBay and John Lewis and those big brands, consumers expect their parcels pretty quick.
Which means as a business (small, medium or large) keeping up with the demands of consumers can be a real challenge.
We hear you, you’re not Amazon and you don’t have a fleet of trucks that can get parcels across the UK in a matter of hours. But that doesn’t mean you can’t give your customers freedom of choice when it comes to their delivery options.
Below we’ve picked out techniques you can use to offer delivery at a fair price and in a convenient way. Which means should your customer want it sooner they’ve got the option, but if they’re okay waiting they have that option too.
SET DELIVERY EXPECTATIONS EARLY
Sometimes customers really dislike paying for delivery, but that’s usually because they weren’t expecting to fork out for it before they hit the checkout.
However, when communicated properly charging for delivery can actually be advantageous.
Let’s say your customer is buying your product and needs it ASAP.
As they go through the buying journey they’ve probably already had a look at your delivery information and if Next Day delivery is an option, they’ll be more likely to convert.
In the same vein, if a customer is interested in your product and they’re in no rush to get it, they’ll be less inclined to pay extra for delivery so if there’s a standard delivery charge (and it’s reasonable) they’ll still be more likely to convert. They’ll have facts so they can make a decision if they want to pay or not.
Delivery isn’t something that should be hidden or tucked away at the end. That will only lead to higher exit rates and less sales.
Instead look at your industry, what do others do and think how you can best communicate the delivery options to customers.
If you’re open and transparent the customer will have no reason to get frustrated and if they’re not keen on paying for delivery then so be it. The reality is whether it’s included in the product price or whether it’s added as an extra. They are STILL paying for delivery, so explain this to your potential customers.
WANT IT SOONER? PAY A LITTLE EXTRA
It’s pretty common these days to see sites offering next day delivery and charging customers extra for the convenience. As consumers we have a level of expectation but it’s not unreasonable to get customers to share the costs or even cover it. It’s even more important as a small business to not lose money on delivery as it’s a business cost.
There’s lots of approaches you could take but here’s a few to give you an idea of how to offer multiple delivery options:
- Next Day Delivery – Next Day means the very next day, so if you order on a Monday, that product needs to be arriving on a Tuesday. A great way to deal with Next Day Delivery is to provide a cut-off point. By doing this you give customers the chance for Next Day Delivery but still enough time for you as a business to meet this expectation. As an example you could offer Next Day Delivery until 2pm each day and after that standard delivery.
- Standard Delivery – delivery times can vary based on the courier but typically this is anywhere between 2-5 days and often only includes working days.
There’s also other types of delivery that you can offer but these would only apply to certain scenarios so make a judgement call on whether to include:
- Saturday delivery – as it says on the tin, the delivery will be on Saturday. This can be a slightly more expensive option for obvious reason (not everyone enjoys working Saturday’s). But if you can make it work it’s often really convenient for customers, especially as they’ll be more likely to be at home during the weekend.
- Nominated delivery – similar to Saturday delivery, this gives customers the option to choose the day they want it delivered. But it can also go as far as letting them choose time slots on their chosen day, giving them true flexibility.
- Delivery by weight – this often applies to those that might be sending heavy or bulkier items. As the weight of the package increases the delivery cost often does too, which you could cater for in your own delivery charges.
OFFERING MORE PICK UP OPTIONS
Another great way of being flexible with your delivery options is giving customers the option to collect in-store, at convenient ServicePoints or even in our case depots. If you have a savvy customer who wants to save on delivery this option gives them the choice to go collect it and make a saving in the process.
Here’s how we do it at DHL eCommerce UK:
SERVICEPOINT TO SERVICEPOINT – this means you (as a business) can take your parcel to one of 3,500 ServicePoints and then your customer can pick up from their local ServicePoint it’s like a click and collect service but in convenient local parcel shops.
DEPOT TO DEPOT – with our depot to depot service, customers can pick up their parcels from one of our 50+ depots. In much the same way as our ServicePoints, this gives customers the choice to pick up their parcel if they’d like to.
These two further options will make help you make a saving which you can pass onto customers and give them even more flexibility.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Whatever you choose the important thing with delivery is be upfront, honest and transparent. You want to try and meet customers’ demands but don’t try and emulate Amazon if you just don’t have the horse power.
Customers value small businesses often more than the big players so be personable and explain how delivery works. They’ll be more understanding than you think!