You’ve shopped online yourself, haven’t you? Most people have, whether for a simple gift for themselves or someone else, an essential supply for the home or office, or to pursue an elusive collectible or memento that’s not available in the brick and mortar stores surrounding them in the real world.
As an online consumer yourself, you appreciate the importance of reliable order fulfillment, both for the sake of your own peace of mind and for the purchased product’s safety and good condition. The following list enumerates some of the other expectations that most customers admit to having when considering the order fulfillment process. Some of them might surprise you.
Is the warehouse climate controlled?
Modern online shoppers are savvier than ever. Mix this intelligence with the widespread concern over shipping and handling costs, overseas importation, and product quality, and your smartest customers will want to rest assured your products are stored in adequate facilities.
Warehouse fulfillment plays a big part in generating customer trust. Especially in the collectors’ markets, where heat and humidity are considered the two great opponents to maintaining resale value, proper climate control and inventory maintenance is crucial. Failure to adequately maintain merchandise is the first dark step towards customer dissatisfaction and the impossibility of repeat conversion.
Who will ship my package?
In many cases, a preference for one shipping service over the others is a result of dissatisfaction or an unhappy experience with the competitors. A consumer prefers UPS because Fed Ex once lost their package, or vice versa.
When possible, offer your customers a choice of shipping services. This will make them more comfortable ordering from your online store but also give your business the impression of a size and stature it may not actually possess. That misconception actually works in your favor. Fulfillment service companies will also manage your site to include any of several shipping companies, as well, giving you and the consumer greater choice when completing your sale conversion.
Who protects your site?
For the last several years the buying public has been whipped into a frenzy about identity theft. While tools and strategies have by and large helped ameliorate this near-panic, customers still expect secure, safe shopping and payment information transactions. Clearly marking your security protocols on your site will help you to impress the customer in this regard. Again, this encourages repeat conversion.