Ever thought of ecommerce shipping as a marketing tool? E-commerce brands often focus on various channels during the holiday season like marketing, website design, product variations, emails and social media. We’re here to say that e-commerce shipping is also a great marketing tool that e-commerce brands should consider.
E-commerce shipping is the last part of the pre-purchase customer journey before the buy button is clicked. Holiday buyers look at the shipping options and buy their gifts. Entice buyers with shipping and we’ll teach you how.
Ecommerce Shipping: The Ultimate Marketing tool
1. Free shipping, duh
90% of customers would shop online more often if free shipping is offered. (savemycent.com)
Free shipping would
- Improve conversion rate,
- Reduce cart abatement rates,
- Positive customer experience.
We understand that every business cannot offer free shipping. In that case, we suggest that you do the following
- Offer free shipping above a certain value,
- Offer free shipping on certain products only
- Offer free shipping only to members or email subscribers to make them feel exclusive
2. Ecommerce Shipping optionality
With shipping optionality in the play, brands offer freedom to customers to choose what they want in terms of shipping. There are many types of ecommerce shipping options that are trending right now.
- Expedited shipping – Expedited shipping is an umbrella term which has many options, which are two-day delivery, same-day delivery, and overnight shipping. 54% of consumers under the age of 25 state that same-day shipping is crucial when shopping online. (Walker Sanders)
Many customers who opt for expedited shipping often are willing to pay extra for faster shipping options. These expedited shipping solutions are practically a way to reduce cart abandonment rates and increase conversion rates.
- Local delivery – Local delivery is when a product is delivered from your local store to the customer’s doorstep. It is a great option for brands to acquire local customers.
- International shipping
- Eco-friendly shipping options – Gen Z and the millennials are obsessed with sustainability and knowing good for the earth. Eco-friendly shipping options opt for biodegradable packaging, carbon offset programs, and recyclable packages. Often, these eco-friendly shipping methods take much time to reach the customer as they opt for ground shipping. But customers are still considering eco-friendly shipping in order to save the world.
A Statista study says that product packaging accounts for the greatest portion of greenhouse gas emissions in the e-commerce industry. There are options to increase shipping efficiency and reduce unwanted packaging boxes,
- Pack orders efficiently,
- Let customers know that you are practicing sustainable shipping methods,
- Allow customers to offset carbon at checkout,
- Consolidate orders,
- Promote the use of reusing and recycling packages,
- Opt for eco-friendly shipping and fulfillment partners,
- Reduce returns.