As an e-commerce business owner, you must rethink how you do business to prepare for the unexpected and set yourself up for long-term success.

This is because we are in an omnichannel world where shipping and delivery options are better than ever. Due to this, customers expect more from businesses, and if you don’t offer them more than they are getting elsewhere, they will leave you. As you can tell, this translates to lower sales which can even lead to you closing your business.

Would you like to stand out and attract as much business as possible? Here are shipping solutions you should use to improve both the customer experience and your bottom line:

Offer Delivery Options

More and more customers want the option to choose how and when they receive their orders.

Studies show that the number of delivery options is one of the main reasons most people choose one store over the other.

To attract business, be ultra cautious when choosing a delivery company. As a rule of thumb, don’t hire the first company you come across. Instead, look into at least five service providers to find the right price for your bottom line and the best options for your customers.

When you compare different service providers, you better understand what is available in the market. You also have a better understanding of what to charge your customers. Of course, you should have competitive and fair pricing. Your delivery fees should be enticing to your customers and, at the same time, enough to cover the shipping costs.

As mentioned above, you should always offer your customers shipping options, and it’s up to them to choose the one they want. Some excellent choices include: free shipping, same-day delivery, and if you have a physical store or a designated place where people can pick up their orders.buy online, go with pick up in-store” (BOPIS) options.

Offer Customized Shipping Experiences.

The future of e-commerce belongs to brands that create personalized experiences that grab customers’ attention and keeps them coming back.

Thankfully, there are plenty of stages you can offer personalized experiences. An excellent stage is during the delivery process. Here you send customized order notifications and custom tracking emails to your clients.

When you notify your clients what is going on in every stage of the shipping process, you give them peace of mind, as they know where their package is at all times. Sending notifications also makes them feel valued, increasing the chances of buying from you in the future.

Another stage you can offer personalized service is in the packaging. An excellent way to go about it is to include a packing slip with a customized message, thank-you note, or other creative message related to your brand and product.

If you work with similar companies that offer trial products, you can package their products together with yours and ship them together.

When doing this, ensure that the products you send complement yours. For example, you can package nutrition and supplement samples for clients buying exercise equipment.

You can also package organic skincare samples for people who buy vegan and cruelty-free haircare products.

Of course, when packaging these products, let the client know about the samples and explain to them why the products are suitable for them. Remember to give them contact details if they want to order more products.

Make Use Of Big Data.

We all know how important it is to collect data in today’s digital world, but how you use that data can make your brand stand out.

With the right tools, businesses can use real-time visibility into their delivery operations to track key performance indicators and take action when needed to make smart decisions.

To have a competitive edge, consider using tools like shipping APIs. APIs let businesses build shipping and delivery into their business model and fully automate the checkout process.

When you integrate the shipping APIs into your system, you easily keep track of a customer’s order from when it’s placed to when it’s delivered.

This keeps you from making mistakes and making things more complicated than they need to be.

Doing this also saves you time and gives your customers a better experience.

Play A Part In Conserving The Environment.

In a recent survey by Nielsen, 52% of people said that a shipping company affects their buying decisions.

Eighty-one percent said it’s important that companies they buy from have programs that help conserve the environment.

This means that as an ecommerce business owner, you should choose a shipping company that is keen on conserving the environment. For example, you can go with a company whose warehouses are fully solar-powered.

It also doesn’t hurt when the shipping company has a large fleet of electric delivery vehicles.

Using such a company gives you a better reputation and happier customers.

To conserve the environment even more, make it a habit to combine orders when multiple products go to the same address.

You also should make packages the right size for the product to save on materials and shipping costs.

You must have received a product too small for its oversized packaging, haven’t you? This is wrong, and you should always use the right packaging for your products.

Using green materials, reducing waste, and choosing a last-mile shipping company with the infrastructure to deliver at the lowest possible cost with the least impact on the environment is also a great way to conserve the environment.

Parting Shot

There is no denying that customers expect more and better service than ever before. As mentioned, this is fueled by the increased competition in shipping. If you don’t offer them what they want, they will find a better provider and leave you high and dry.

Thankfully, by using the above tips, you will stand out and be a formidable competitor in the ecommerce space. The tips will also help your business face challenges and run better overall.

If you haven’t put the tips into use, it’s time to do it. Remember, there is no harm in improving your business, your customers’ feelings, and your bottom line. You always stand to benefit.