Boost your retention with a branded delivery experience!

What is customer experience in logistics? It starts in the shopping cart and ends once the order is delivered and sometimes even afterward when the customer returns the order. 

89% of companies surveyed by the Boston Consulting Group say that personalization positively impacts sales. When we hear "personalization," we immediately think of the product, but we will see in this article that it is possible to create a logistic experience for your image.

1. Personalize to boost your sales

Making the delivery experience unique to your customers by personalizing it with your brand image can be a fabulous sales booster. Delivery options and returns are important elements that your customers will focus on before ordering. 

Delivery options

Delivery options are essential to customers. According to IFOP, 62% of consumers consider delivery as a priority criterion in the purchasing process. 

It is not enough to offer a wide range of delivery options but to offer those that will appeal to your personas. For example, if your company is environmentally friendly, you may want to favor drop-off points and not offer express deliveries. There are many possibilities:

• At home: a classic solution proposed by all e-tailers 
• Relay points: a solution that may suit a customer who is never at home during the day or a customer committed to respecting the environment
• Express: can correspond to a customer in a hurry, for example, one who has forgotten his little sister's birthday
• Slots: Solution that allows customer’s packages to be delivered at home without blocking a full day

Returns

The returns stage can really make a difference. A customer who returns a product is not necessarily going to be in a good frame of mind and will therefore be very demanding. It's up to you to make their experience as positive as possible. But how? 

‍1. By creating a return page:

The process of returning a product can be different from one brand to another and therefore become obscure. 

Creating a page that details all the steps involved in the return process will improve the logistical experience for your customers. You'll be able to answer all the questions they have: 

• Where to download the return form, 
• How to pack the package 
• Where to drop off the package, 
• How to request a refund…

Making the return experience as straightforward as possible will improve your retention. In the future, if one of your customers needs to buy one of your products again, they will remember that you were there for them throughout the delivery process.  

2. Return methods:

We often talk about the importance of delivery options, but we forget that there are different return methods: in a branch, in a relay point, or even in a mailbox (the customer drops his return directly in his box). 

Few brands give their customers the choice of return method, so why not stand out? Your customers will not only remember you because you will have made the return process easier, but they will also have confidence in you, which will encourage re-purchasing.  

2. Personalize the delivery experience

In e-commerce, once the order is paid, your customer will wait between 1 and 7 days to get his parcel in his hands. The most stressful moment for your customer is waiting for his order: is it in preparation? Has it left the warehouse? When will it be delivered? 

Creating contact points with your customers will make the delivery experience more fluid, and they will feel assisted throughout. 

Follow-up emails

Follow-up emails allow you to inform your customers about the status of their orders in real-time(in preparation, on the way, delivered) and make the experience as smooth as possible. 

But receiving a tracking email from Chronopost or Colissimo, out of nowhere, can make the delivery experience confusing, especially since consumer habits have evolved a lot and consumers order from many different sites and may be waiting for several packages at once. 

Creating follow-up emails with your image (colors, logo, slogan) in addition to improving the user experience can help you re-engage your customers through upsells (push other products) or promotional codes, for example. You can even personalize your emails to your customers' names and orders. 

Customer service

The delivery of a package can be impacted by external elements: weather hazards, carrier delays, the pandemic... Your customer service must sometimes be proactive to avoid any friction with your customer. 

It is possible to inform your customer via different tools: a FAQ, chatbot, or email.The main objective is to give a good image of your brand to your customer. He will associate your e-commerce with a good delivery experience. 

On the Bigblue application, it is very easy to access all the information in real-time about your customers' orders. 

To be noted: A good customer experience can also lead to positive reviews on your website, which will improve the acquisition of new customers. 

3. Personalization of the package:

The package is the only physical contact you will have with your customer. It is important not to miss it! 

The packaging 

At Bigblue, we advise our customers not to burnish the outside of their packages to avoid theft. But the inside of the package can be designed to reflect their image: company name, a little word printed on the box, organization of the products... It's up to you to make the unboxing experience as memorable as possible. For example: ‍

The little touches 

How do you make your customer feel privileged? 

By adding small elements that they did not expect in their package. From a small user's guide to a package filled with candy or a nice thank-you card, it's up to you to choose which little attention you're going to slip into your customer's order. 

A real re-engagement tool, your customers will recommend you (and you) also because they remember these little touches.

Gifts

What if you surprise your customers by giving them gifts? 

81% of French people like to receive samples in their packages. Adding samples to your orders is both a way to reward your customers for choosing you and also tomake them test another range of products that they might like, potentially triggering a new purchase. 

For example, a cosmetic brand can add a hand cream or a mini body wash. 

4. In brief…

E-tailers sometimes forget that offering the best possible logistics is also about customer satisfaction. Transactional emails, samples, delivery options... It is possible to act at different levels to make your customers' experience unforgettable, which will push them to order again and recommend your brand to their friends and family. And who knows, you may have an influencer in your customers!