Why and How Do I Track a Parcel?

Why and How Do I Track a Parcel?

It’s a question many e-commerce, online retailers and sellers will regularly find themselves being asked by new and potential customers: ‘Can I track my parcel?’. Especially when ordering an expensive gift or needing a purchase by a certain date, from the customer’s point of view being able to track my package will ensure they know if they need to take any other action should there be an issue. As a business or online seller, there are many reasons to use package tracking services and here we explain how to do so as well.

Visibility and Trust
The main reason many online sellers begin to use package tracking services is in response to customers asking: ‘Can I track my mail?’. It could be anything from ordering valuable signed photographs from eBay to buying expensive birthday gifts through online retailers which are needed by a certain date. With parcel tracking your customers have full visibility of where their items are.

Around 69% of online shoppers have said they’ve had parcels go missing, turn up late or damaged when bought online, and providing full visibility should reduce this happening. This increases trust between customers, clients and the seller. It shows that they are being totally honest and open about their deliveries, not being able to cover up any late or lost orders. Building such trust is more likely to lead to returning clients, along with them providing positive feedback and spreading the good word about your delivery process.

Protect Your Business
When most people ask, ‘Can I track my parcel?’, it’s usually for their own peace of mind. Being able to follow where their ordered items are en route reduces the chance of anything going missing. However, postage and parcel tracking services also protect the seller.

This demonstrates professionalism by making the accountability clear should there be any issues. For businesses using a courier service for deliveries, the accountability will remain with them if there are late orders due to delivery issues, protecting your company. Plus, being able to check and view the progress of customer orders will increase your confidence when dealing with customer enquiries. If they claim an order hasn’t turned up or was late, you can check its progress to determine whether there is a problem or not.

Expand Delivery Options
It is now more important than ever that e-commerce and online retailers offer as many payment and delivery options as possible. Many consumers can be turned away from buying from a particular seller if they do not provide the delivery methods they desire. As most of your competitors will be offering package tracking options, providing tracked delivery options is an essential way to expand your delivery choice.

Have a track my item option on your site so that potential buyers are instantly aware that you offer such a service. Next day and further delivery delivery options are essential, to give your customers more choice. Especially as your rivals will already be doing so, or preparing to invest in new technology and services to ensure they stay up to speed in the near future.

How Do I Track a Parcel?
Our Whistl postage and parcel tracking services make it easy to offer package tracking to your clients and customers. We take care of managing deliveries for you, saving time and effort while ensuring everything arrives on time and in top condition. The tracked delivery process is simple:

• We collect the items ordered and take to our nearest depot
• Your items are sorted in the depot
• The parcel(s) are then taken to the closest depot to the recipient
• Items are handed to the best partner to meet the delivery time
• Your customer receives their order on time 

Throughout the entire process you have access to the customer MI and consumer tracking portals, along with 24/7 IT support, so you can keep tabs on all deliveries through one system. The consumer portal can be used to allow your customers access to tracking information about their orders, with B2B and B2C tracked courier service options available.

By introducing parcel and package tracking, hopefully you will be better placed to answer all the ‘Can I track my package?’ enquiries and more that are directed at your business.