How to handle shipping information

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How to handle shipping information

Posted On : Sep-30-2011 | seen (657) times | Article Word Count : 535 |

Shipping can be a tricky thing for e-commerce businesses, especially if it's not handled right. Although certain costs can't be reduced or eliminated, you can raise your customers' goodwill by keeping these tips in mind.

Shipping can be a tricky thing for e-commerce businesses, especially if it's not handled right. It's not a matter of choosing shipping providers as much as it is getting the order to them and making sure the customer is satisfied in every step of the process. This can be frustrating for business owners and customers alike; business owners want to give the customer the best experience possible and the customer wants to receive his order as quickly and cheaply as possible. Although certain costs can't be reduced or eliminated, you can raise your customers' goodwill by keeping these tips in mind.

Customers should have access to shipping information before placing an order. From our personal experience, there are many e-commerce sites that require you to fill out all your information and place an order before being presented with shipping prices and options. A lot of times, a customer wants to see the shipping options before placing an order. Not only is it an annoyance when they can't find the information, but it can cause customers to leave the site and go to another business that does display the shipping information. Customers like to know what to expect and how much money they'll have to spend. Hiding it from them seems suspicious and it won't force them to go through with the transaction. In fact, it could lead to more abandoned shopping carts.

Give them several shipping options. Some customers waited until the last minute to order their mother's birthday present and need it as quickly as possible while others would rather pay a lower rate for slower delivery. If you only give one shipping option, customers who deem it too slow or too expensive will go somewhere else where they can choose. For this reason, be sure to offer several different shipping choices, such as ground shipping and next day air.

Write a clear, informative shipping policy. It's not enough to offer shipping options. You should also offer a written policy that customers can read to answer some of the more common questions. In the policy, you should outline how your shipping works and let customers know what to expect in terms of condition, arrival times, and canceled orders and returns, among other things.

Notify customers when their order is shipped and offer order tracking. One thing everyone likes is knowing how long he should expect to wait for his order to arrive. It's common courtesy to set up an automated email to let customers know when their orders have been shipped, so they know it's on its way. You should also integrate order tracking and give them access to it through their account, so they can see where their order is and how much more time is left before its estimated arrival.

It's possible that your shipping policy and options will be the reason customers choose you over competition, so be sure to make it as clear and intuitive as possible. Always make sure you put the customer first and you will have them coming back time and time again. You can contact an e-commerce provider for more information about how to set up your shipping options and policies.

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<h1>How to handle shipping information</h1> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_Infigra.aspx'>Infigra</a> Shipping can be a tricky thing for e-commerce businesses, especially if it's not handled right. It's not a matter of choosing shipping providers as much as it is getting the order to them and making sure the customer is satisfied in every step of the process. This can be frustrating for business owners and customers alike; business owners want to give the customer the best experience possible and the customer wants to receive his order as quickly and cheaply as possible. Although certain costs can't be reduced or eliminated, you can raise your customers' goodwill by keeping these tips in mind.

Customers should have access to shipping information before placing an order. From our personal experience, there are many e-commerce sites that require you to fill out all your information and place an order before being presented with shipping prices and options. A lot of times, a customer wants to see the shipping options before placing an order. Not only is it an annoyance when they can't find the information, but it can cause customers to leave the site and go to another business that does display the shipping information. Customers like to know what to expect and how much money they'll have to spend. Hiding it from them seems suspicious and it won't force them to go through with the transaction. In fact, it could lead to more abandoned shopping carts.

Give them several shipping options. Some customers waited until the last minute to order their mother's birthday present and need it as quickly as possible while others would rather pay a lower rate for slower delivery. If you only give one shipping option, customers who deem it too slow or too expensive will go somewhere else where they can choose. For this reason, be sure to offer several different shipping choices, such as ground shipping and next day air.

Write a clear, informative shipping policy. It's not enough to offer shipping options. You should also offer a written policy that customers can read to answer some of the more common questions. In the policy, you should outline how your shipping works and let customers know what to expect in terms of condition, arrival times, and canceled orders and returns, among other things.

Notify customers when their order is shipped and offer order tracking. One thing everyone likes is knowing how long he should expect to wait for his order to arrive. It's common courtesy to set up an automated email to let customers know when their orders have been shipped, so they know it's on its way. You should also integrate order tracking and give them access to it through their account, so they can see where their order is and how much more time is left before its estimated arrival.

It's possible that your shipping policy and options will be the reason customers choose you over competition, so be sure to make it as clear and intuitive as possible. Always make sure you put the customer first and you will have them coming back time and time again. You can contact an e-commerce provider for more information about how to set up your shipping options and policies.About the Author: About Infigra E-Commerce:
Infigra E-Commerce is a Charlotte, NC based company that offers software as a solution (SaaS) and enables retailers to increase their sales by offering sophisticated e-commerce management tools. Our mission is to help move inventory by increasing the product visibility on different online global marketplace segments, such as Ebay and Amazon.
For more information, visit <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.infigra.com">www.infigra.com</a> Article Source: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/Article_How-to-handle-shipping-information_87666.aspx'> http://www.articleseen.com/Article_How to handle shipping information_87666.aspx</a>

Article Source : http://www.articleseen.com/Article_How to handle shipping information_87666.aspx

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About Infigra E-Commerce:

Infigra E-Commerce is a Charlotte, NC based company that offers software as a solution (SaaS) and enables retailers to increase their sales by offering sophisticated e-commerce management tools. Our mission is to help move inventory by increasing the product visibility on different online global marketplace segments, such as Ebay and Amazon.

For more information, visit www.infigra.com

Keywords : e-commerce, eCommerce, shipping, shipping information, customer shipping information,

Category : Internet Business : Ecommerce

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