When you manage your online shop, every detail and step counts. From start to finish, you want everything to be perfect and just the way you imagined it. To stand out in the local or online market, entrepreneurs and those who aspire to be one, need to offer top-notch, five-star service in every way possible. The shades and nuances associated with individual sellers are what can make or break a business. As you only have one chance to make a first impression, any investment in that area will more than pay for itself. Without further ado, lets us get started on the importance of shipping.

1. Customer retention and satisfaction

Always start with you as an example. You ordered a product online and patiently waited for it to arrive. You paid for and did everything right. Then the shipment got delayed, and what’s worse, the product came faulty, wrapped in some generic, used paper box. Will you shop at the same place again? We don’t think so, and with this one example, you can realise how important shipping is. 

Customer reviews are now crucial, more than ever. Google reviews with pictures and stories about horrifying shipments cause way more damage and costs than any investment you can make. That’s why you need to invest and maintain customer satisfaction which leads to customer retention. A flawless first impression seals the deal and leads us to our next topic.

2. Profit

Let’s keep things simple. More customers lead to more money or profit in the long run. Shipping is the final part of the transaction in this journey. You got the customer interested in your product, your website does its job, the order is placed, and now all that’s left is to stick the landing. Don’t count your chickens until they are hatched, and don’t count your profits too soon either. Until the product is delivered, paid for, and the customer is smiling your job is not done. 

Customer satisfaction is the main driving force that fuels your profit margins. Having world-class shipment shines a new light on your company, one that even you didn’t know you had. It’s all about what the customer thinks, and they need to think happy thoughts. Then, your profit margins get to soar sky high. To keep profits up, you also need the next item on the list.

3. Efficiency

Do products in your warehouse make money? Of course not, you need to get them going, rolling out and shipped as fast as possible. Stored products only cause costs, so having efficient and functioning logistical distribution, causes them to travel where they need to be. Which is in your customer’s hands. When you manage your shipping, it becomes in your best interest to keep the ball rolling. Keep the stock to a calculated minimum, as you know and feel the pulse of the business. On the other side, once your product is ordered, it becomes in your best monetary interest for it to appear, nice and safe, at your customer’s doorstep at a moment’s notice. 

4. Managing returns

Depending on your business, you will have various amounts of returns happen. This is normal and part of every business. As this is usually a major expense, it’s one that’s best managed when you run the show. Customers often do a return or change their minds about purchases, and it’s up to you to minimise any associated costs with this process. It becomes that much easier when you are in direct control. Every product returned is also an expense until it’s back in your warehouse. You will see how your system functions until you get the product back. 

Until you have it back safe, sound and ready to be sold again, you are at a loss for that item. That’s why it’s crucial to short and hasten the return process. Doing so minimises your costs and gets the product back on the virtual shelves, ready to be sold again. Hopefully, with more luck this time.

5. Reputation

Your reputation is derived from your customer reviews and satisfaction as we covered previously. A positive image cannot be bought by money and is cultivated over time. Each successful delivery is a building block toward that bigger picture you are striving for. Shipment should be your cherry on top, the grand finale that ensures there is a next one and the one after that. When you are running your shipping process, you close the whole process and can proudly call each part of the company “Yours.” All the work you put into the small details will reflect on your company’s reputation. That reputation will be your secret weapon.

Every journey starts with plenty of unknowns. When your business planning comes to the shipping part, you are almost at the end. This final push with maximum effort towards greatness is what separates the average from the great. You want to land in the latter, and this endeavour, mediocrity will not do. We wish you all the best in your future endevours.