The holiday season is one of the most anticipated times of the year. During this period, you can reconnect with your loved ones and get together to celebrate and commemorate how you made it all through the year.
However, the pandemic has changed the holiday dynamics. Since people are confined to their homes, catching up in person turned into Zoom meetings, and gift-giving has shifted into sending thoughtful packages to friends and family instead of being with them physically.
With the rise of e-commerce platforms and shops migrating online, you probably have shopped on the web for your gifts this holiday season. It’s one of the busiest times of the year, where consumers go into shopping overdrive. Or, if you are a business owner—this is the perfect opportunity to skyrocket your sales. Maximize this peak season by gaining and retaining more customers by cutting out shipping costs for you and your customers!
There’s no better way in preventing the Black Friday shipping crisis and delayed deliveries than by planning ahead of time! Learn more from the tips below on how to avoid these much-dreaded shipping woes this holiday season!
If you are a business owner, keep these in mind.
Evaluate your inventory on time!
As customers prepare their shopping lists, start stocking up even before the Black Friday madness starts. You might be surprised how essential packing supplies are—like tapes, boxes, sticker labels, and wraps. So make sure to keep them handy. Once the holiday season kicks off, it can be harder to restock on these, and shipment might get delayed with the high volume of orders happening during that time.
Improve customer checkout experience!
Trust us when we say that your checkout process can make or break a customer’s experience. So, make sure that you are optimizing your shop’s website with the most efficient CRMs and shipping software. Mobility also plays a significant role in improving sales quotas, so make sure that your website runs smoothly on any device.
Aside from free shipping, offering a wide range of payment platforms is also a plus. Explore this strategy and research the most sought-after payment terms by buyers so you can market convenience in buying your products.
Sort out your shipping process!
If your shop has flexible shipping options for your target market, they will most likely buy again. Don’t wait for the holiday rush in drafting your shipping process because there’s nothing worse than negative reviews because of late shipments during this season.
It will help best if you have insights from previous years in identifying the pros and cons of your available options. Examine the logistics of your items and identify possible (and even the impossible) bottlenecks like courier availability, ocean weather conditions, and more.
Don’t expect a seamless process, especially during this busy time. But! Make sure that you are prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Explore other shipping options.
Nowadays, there are many shipping options that you can work around on. Consider inhouse shipping if you have the resources and manpower to deliver the item. This will also work if you’re offering a local-based product within a specified radius of your community. It would also cut costs from both the shop and the customers, so a win-win situation, right? Same-day delivery can work for this option as well.
For international orders, research on a state or country’s leading pickup points for packages and deliveries. Usually, these pickup centers are spread out the country—even reaching far-flung cities. Your international customers will thank you for the accessibility.
In this modern age of retail, customers are also becoming more conscious about their footprints in the environment. These kinds of customers won’t mind if the delivery of the package is slower than usual if you are using a carbon-neutral shipping option. Although this is not for everyone, it’s nice to offer this process if it aligns with your messaging and core. Having well-rounded shipping options can ensure customer loyalty and will let you reap these rewards even after the holiday season.
Time is power!
As the pandemic stretches on, you can never really tell when an unforeseen restriction will take place and delay your shipments. But if it was too late to avoid, make sure to inform your customers early on. Post short announcements through your social media channels to let them know that you care for them as much as they care for their packages.
To prevent this during the holiday craze, enforce order cut-offs so you won’t get overwhelmed with the number of orders to pack and ship. Make sure to include this in planning your timeline to avoid holiday returns and minimize costs. Remember, you have a holiday to celebrate, too!
For the customers…
As a customer, it can be frustrating to stress over the arrival of your package. Don’t worry! We know that the waiting game is the worst part. So, here is some advice to keep you worry-free in shipping your gifts to your loved ones during this time of the year!
- Nothing can beat an early bird. Plan and buy your gifts weeks beforehand.
- Consider buying from local shops within the recipient’s area. Shipping will be faster and more convenient for the receiver if any issue arises.
- Make sure you’re buying from a legitimate online shop. Always double-check and ensure that you are ordering and paying from an encrypted site to keep your details secured!
To sum it up—shipping can make or break your holiday mood.
Shipment and online deliveries are the cores of staying connected with your loved ones during this pandemic. This is why delays can become frustrating on both ends. However, it all boils down to a well-planned shipment and gift-giving process to make it cost-effective for sellers and buyers alike this holiday season.
