More consumers around the world are shopping online than ever before, making this holiday season one of the most important to get right.
Since the onset of the pandemic, merchants have been navigating unprecedented online demand.
What’s more, Aussie consumers have increasingly chosen to shop small during the pandemic to help support the local economy.
And it appears this newfound commitment to support local and independent businesses will continue throughout the holiday season.
To help prepare for this year’s peak season, ShipStation, together with Shopify Plus, has released The Ultimate Shipping Guide, to give your business the tools to manage the holiday rush.
Here’s three ways to optimise the checkout experience and stand out above the rest this holiday shopping season.
Create a user-friendly checkout page
Your checkout page is one area of your business that you simply can’t ignore.
This is where you determine your shipping options and add carriers. This is also where your customers make the final call on whether or not they’re going to buy your product.
Laying out different shipping options at checkout makes the process easier for both you and your customers.
You win the loyalty of customers who are savvy about shipping, and customers get the benefit of a carrier and delivery speed that they feel comfortable with.
ShipStation gives you the tools to show live shipping rates at checkout, display flat-rate or free shipping options, and view delivery date estimates.
Use automation to elevate the post-checkout experience
No customer likes to wait around for a delivery, so efficient fulfilment is key to ecommerce success.
ShipStation is designed to make the post checkout fulfilment smooth and efficient, by delivering automation and quick solutions into the process.
ShipStation helps you cut down fulfilment lag time (the length of time needed to pick, pack, and ship the order) on all orders by automating many time-consuming aspects of the fulfilment process such as inventory documentation, printing shipping labels, and managing speed requirements.
In addition, ShipStation’s branded tracking feature can help elevate the brand experience post-checkout.
Branded tracking feature keeps the shopping experience consistent, brand specific, and personalised throughout the entire shipping journey
Instead of receiving generic shipping updates from the carrier, customers will receive tracking information that looks as though it is coming directly from you.
Get your packaging game right
Your shipping process should address customers’ growing expectations around brand experience and sustainable packaging.
More than 60% of younger consumers prefer to shop for sustainable and green products and 82% of consumers as a whole said they would like their parcel packaging material to be recyclable.
Through packaging presets, custom packaging types, and automation rules, ShipStation can assign the best packaging type, dimensions, and weight for each of your items.From there, ShipStation puts you in control of the customer experience, even if you’re using third party logistics (3PL).
Through ShipStation’s partner integrations, businesses can send packing instructions, including custom packaging and product inserts, and warehouses will ensure a brand-specific unboxing experience.
The ShipStation app can also help you identify multiple orders from the same customer, which allows you to combine products into one package and reduce packaging waste.
The Ultimate Shipping Guide from ShipStation and Shopify Plus explores the three pillars of exceptional shipping, right along with the skills you need to offer world-class shipping. Download The Ultimate Shipping Guide to learn more.