Nothing beats the feeling of getting that fresh new package delivered to your doorstep after waiting for it for weeks. But have you ever asked yourself all the hoops that your delivery company had to go through to ensure that your package arrives in front of your doorstep in pristine condition? Well, it does have to go through a multitude of different processes, which can delay delivery time.
For the past few weeks, the E-commerce industry has been skyrocketing in popularity and has been booming, especially when most individuals are stuck at home or just don’t want to go out. But even though you can easily buy new things off any E-commerce platform and online store with your credit card or bank account, the product will need to take some time to be delivered to your home. Usually, the delivery time will depend on the distance of the warehouse and other key factors.
Since most individuals are stuck at home and are only allowed to go out to buy essential items, the E-commerce industry, and most online businesses have become even more popular as it has become a mainstay for customers that are reliant on the traditional store business model.
Still, a good amount of people are quite keen on getting their delivery on time and will pay a good amount of money to ensure that it can arrive early. Studies have shown that 30% of products that are ordered online are returned because of a variety of different factors, such a delayed delivery, damaged goods, and the wrong item being delivered.
What Can Cause Delays?
When it comes to delays, there’s no one ultimate factor that can cause it. But in order for us to understand delays, we’ll need to first determine what causes it in the first place. No matter what business or industry you work with, there will always be issues in delivering goods to customers in a timely manner.
In most cases, delays are usually caused by natural environmental factors such as calamities and sometimes partly because of the customer’s mistake, especially when it comes to filling out addresses and important information. But ultimately, the E-commerce seller will have a major influence on the delays.
Whether it’s the seller or the customer’s fault, the following are the most common reasons for delays:
- Mistakes in Documentation — Incorrect orders, misspelled addresses, and not enough information can delay deliveries even further. This is generally caused by customers. Although, there are instances that E-commerce sellers will fail to enter the necessary information into orders, especially when they are handling different tasks at the same time.
- System failure — Most of the time, an E-commerce business will usually operate 24/7 to ensure that customers will always get a response if there are any problems with the product and that deliveries are timely. However, some sites might encounter technical problems and will take a considerable amount of time to manage inventory, which can cause delays in the delivery process.
- Environmental Factors — There are going to be some instances that storms, heavy rain, and other environmental factors can make the terrain impassable. Although this is beyond anything that the delivery company can do, this is not an excuse for late deliveries.
- Logistical issues — Lastly, problems with the delivery agent and the E-commerce retailer is classified as logistical problems and is the last thing that businesses want. Not being able to deliver products and goods in a timely manner can be detrimental to customer satisfaction and can ultimately lead to the cancellation of the order.
As you can see, there are a variety of ways that deliveries can be delayed. Fortunately, there are also different ways of expediting the delivery process. Here’s what you can do:
Get A Responsive Courier
If you want to ensure that your customers will receive their packages and parcels in a fast and timely manner, you might want to consider commissioning the services of a reputable logistics company with a team of professionals who are always responsive and on their feet in delivering packages while keeping customer satisfaction high.
Updating Your Products and Inventory
There are bound to be some products that are more popular than others. If this is the case, you might want to try replacing some of your less-popular inventory with what’s in demand in the market. Cutting down your inventory and focusing more on what will give you profit will ensure that you won’t have any problems with the packaging and delivery process. Additionally, this will also ensure that your customers won’t order a product that’s you don’t have in your warehouse.
Optimizing Your Warehouse
When your business grows, you’ll naturally get even more customers and clients. A growing market means that you’ll need to adapt by having more facilities that can house your inventory. You’ll need to have a warehouse that you can use to prepare, dispatch and organise products with the help of a new forklift truck. It’s important to start arranging products that get the most views and engagements to those that don’t get as many views.
There are a variety of ways of shortening the delivery process. Customer satisfaction is integral in ensuring that the rate of cancellation for products is kept low and at a minimum. Ultimately, it’s important to have the right facilities and a skilled workforce that can work around the clock in providing the necessary work.