Today’s customers are no longer just interested in shopping with you and collecting their orders after simply waiting for them. They expect you to engage with them throughout the order delivery lifecycle via transactional shipping notifications.
However, if you’re anything like most e-commerce businesses, you are unwillingly neglecting the post-purchase, creating a big post-purchase CX gap.
The good news? You can exceed your customers’ expectations and meaningfully engage with them via seamless shipping notifications at every step of the way.
In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about shipping notifications, including their key components, types, benefits, best practices, and more.
Key Components of a Shipping Notification
A shipping notification includes various components that help keep the logistics operations running smoothly. Key components include:
1. Shipment Details
One of the most important components of a shipping notification is the shipment information. This includes details like:
- The carrier name
- Tracking number
- Expected delivery date
In some cases, the shipment details may also include the type of transportation being used to deliver the package. This information lets customers track their packages independently without constantly reaching out to your customer support.
2. Seller and Customer Information
A shipping notification includes both your business’s and the customer’s details to avoid any confusion, delays, or wrong deliveries. This includes full names, addresses, and contact numbers.
Say, if a customer wants to reach out to your support team about their delivery, they can easily get the contact details through the notification without having to scramble through your site or app.
3. Product Description
This might seem quite obvious, but a shipment notification also includes what exactly is inside the package. It ensures the customer knows what to expect.
For example, item names, quantities, maybe even SKU numbers or colors if they ordered multiple variants. This provides an added layer of transparency, making it easier for them to cross-check when the package arrives.
4. Handling Instructions
Shipping a product that needs to stay cold? Or one that’s a little more ‘handle with care’ than the rest? Shipping notifications are just the place to highlight these special handling instructions.
They include key instructions like temperature sensitivity, fragile items, or regulated materials, ensuring the customer handles it carefully upon delivery.
5. Packaging Information
Honestly, most customers don’t really think too much about packaging. That is, unless something arrives damaged. Therefore, it’s smart to include details like:
- The number of packages
- Weight
- Dimensions
- Palletization specifications
Types of Shipping Notifications
Shipping a product to a customer involves various steps. First, the item is shipped, then it’s in transit, and finally delivered to the customer. But although this is an ideal scenario, the process isn’t as linear as you’d like it to be. There may be delays, failed deliveries, loss, or damage. And the customer needs to be kept in the loop throughout. Here are 15 types of shipment notifications that account for all of this:
