When we talk of India, a country of diverse customs, creeds and colours, the festive season is something that turns out to be the most profitable time of the year for businesses, simply because we have so many of them. For retail brands especially the online retailers who among everything else has to struggle with offering “e-commerce delivery services in India”, this period can easily become the most chaotic one.
Contributing to these online sales is the fact that more and more users nowadays are using mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to research compare and purchase products on the fly. But a careful approach to peak holiday planning can greatly avoid the majority of these problems including late delivery times, inaccurate shipments, mismanaged inventory etc.
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How delayed shipments affect your business?
Let's say the festival is Diwali, one of the biggest in our country. And you, among all this, are struggling to keep up with bulk order processing. Meanwhile also hoping that the e-commerce delivery services in India deliver your shipments on time.
However, a very high volume of parcels to be delivered along with poor carrier communication sometimes leads to the loss of a package. Now, the customer, unaware of its whereabouts, is continuously nagging you. And you, on your end, simply cannot get hold of enough information to satisfy the customer.
In such a case, you only have two options. You can either replace the lost package or wait for more info from the e-commerce delivery services India. And you decided to wait. Meanwhile, your customer, who wasn’t happy in the first place takes the matter on social media and writes a scathing hot review. Another one who never dealt with your e-store decided to add his story as well (yes, we are Indians. We do this kind of things).
The next thing you know, you are looking at 10 negative reviews in a row. That is going to burn, trust me. And this incident isn’t rare too. You cannot always blame the e-commerce delivery services India whenever such things happen. It's better to stay prepared at your end so no matter what happens or who’s to blame, your e-commerce business and your customers always stay covered.
How to handle the delays in shipments?
Holidays serve as a great opportunity for brand buildup, customer acquisition and increased customer loyalty. Don’t ruin this opportunity with a late shipment. The best way to ensure on-time e-commerce delivery services India is to learn how to handle the hustle and bustle during the festive seasons. Let’s dive in.
1. Insure Your Shipments
If you run an e-commerce store, sooner or later you too might have encountered lost, damaged or stolen packages in transit. These occurrences are even more common during the holidays or busy festival seasons in India.
During such a crisis, nothing comforts the mind and soul of the store owner like the good old insurance, the perfect remedy for smooth e-commerce delivery services India. The trick here is to decide what products are worth ensuring based on the evaluation of each product along with the risks involved during shipping. With most of your costs covered, you too will have an added reason to enjoy the festivals.
2. Offer Tracking for Your Packages
Offering your customers an easy way to track their purchased products is one of the best ways to meet their expectations. This way, you give your customers little reason to contact you while looking for their shipments.
There are many e-commerce delivery services India which allow customizable email templates along with text messages with regular updates on the carrier and tracking information. Find a company that allows you to integrate all your marketplaces besides offering you the freedom to get the shipping status of all your orders whenever you want.
3. Weather-Proof Your Shipments
Weather delays should always be considered while preparing for festivals simply because they are inevitable, especially in certain parts of India which are more prone to inclement weather. But there are ways as well to prepare in advance for any weather-related delays.
Certain E-commerce delivery services in India publish their cut-off times for shipments. You can easily pad these with your anticipated order-processing time. In this way, you will allow yourself enough time to hit the deadlines as the padded time acts as a buffer, giving you an ample amount of time to work things out.
4. Handling Returns like a Pro
One drawback of e-commerce trade is that there will be returns sometimes due to the change of mind but often times due to the delays in e-commerce delivery services in India. But that is no excuse to complicate the process, keep it as simple as you can.
To begin with, clearly, mention the return policies on your website. Believe me, this will greatly reduce any confusion or dissatisfaction. Secondly, try to go for easy, no-questions-asked returns. There’s a reason these ”hassle-free” returns are becoming a norm lately. And if not anything else, these practices serve as a great way of building trust further ensuring that your customers will likely forgive any future delays in e-commerce delivery services in India.
Closing Thoughts
The holiday seasons, no doubt, are a stressful time for online as well as brick and mortar store retailers. But if you prepare beforehand by keeping in mind all the above-mentioned factors, you can easily avoid all the headaches other ignorant souls cannot. Just keep in mind that whatever method you choose, your shipping and inventory solution should always be up to the mark.
So, if you are still harbouring any doubts regarding your ability to support your shipping operations, feel free to contact us. StoreHippo offers integrated e-commerce delivery services in India through its shipping aggregator platform ShipKaro. At ShipKaro you can choose from a host of reliable delivery partners at discounted rates and deliver to more than 20,000 PIN codes across the country.
Check ShipKaro to make your e-commerce logistics more cost-effective and streamlined.
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