Online Shopping: Can You Deliver?

A digital marketing company might bring plenty of traffic to your website, but once they’ve delivered customers to you – will you be able to deliver to your customers?  Your internet marketing service might be world-class, and your product range might be extensive and affordable, but if you can’t get the shipping right, then it could all be for nothing.

Retailers who look after their customers as far as delivery is concerned can give themselves a substantial competitive advantage in a crowded marketplace. An American study carried out in 2019 made it clear that delivery is more important than many online retailers might think. For example, the survey revealed that free shipping is the most important factor for consumers when deciding from which retailer to make a purchase. This was followed by the ease of shipping return and then then the cost of return.

Furthermore, of 1,888 online consumers interviewed, about 40% said the reason they didn’t complete a purchase was that it wouldn’t arrive on time. 28% were prepared to pay for priority delivery if it meant the product would arrive when they needed it to. Another 20% of respondents reported that they didn’t order a product because the delivery date was not precise. So while digital marketing is capable of bringing customers to a business in large numbers, a lot of those people will abandon their cart at the last minute if the delivery doesn’t fit their schedule or their budget.

This is a timely reminder that the basics of customer service have to be in place, alongside the wizardry of modern-day marketing. The basics still have to be attended to after the online marketers have done their job and directed traffic your way. As well as slow or expensive delivery, some of the main reasons for abandoning a cart include:

• Extra costs such as shipping, tax and fees are too high
• The site asks customers to create an account
• The checkout process is too long, or too complicated
• The total order cost couldn’t be seen or calculated upfront
• Delivery will take too long
• The client didn’t trust the site with their credit card information
• The website crashed
• The returns policy was unsatisfactory
• There weren’t enough payment methods

There is a lesson to be learnt here about the difference between attracting and converting. While the latest data-based marketing methods will have been employed to get that traffic to you, it is up to you to convert traffic into customers by providing a smooth and seamless shopping experience, backed up by traditional service e.g. fast delivery. So it might be time to sit down and ponder this question yet again: once a digital marketing company delivers those people to you – are you capable of delivering to them?