The Importance of Good Delivery Management

The Importance of Good Delivery Management

For online retailers, having an excellent delivery service is essential to customer retention. The number of digital buyers worldwide increasing every year and consumer behaviour changed drastically in 2020 and a huge 84% of the UK population is now shopping online. This change has been assisted by many of the consumer restrictions to physical shopping for non-essential goods. With an estimated 57 million users buying goods online, it is believed much of this buying behaviour is here to stay, with a projected 59 million eCommerce shoppers by the end of 2021.

In the UK purchasing habits have shifted and we’re ordering more over the internet. For 7 out of 10 of us, tracking a delivery improves our confidence in making a purchase online. However, there are other factors that are important to consumers when receiving a delivery. 87% of online shoppers appreciate details on proof of their delivery, and over 85% of consumers feel proof of dispatch and the option to reschedule a delivery are also important.

The UK eCommerce market is growing by 7% p.a. on average (2019-2024) and Statista predict that the UK eCommerce market will reach over £86billion in 2024.

Improve Standards and Reputation
Nurturing your customer base is crucial to success. Upholding high standards is essential to maintaining customer loyalty, which in turn will improve your company’s reputation and engage new customers.
Around two-thirds of consumers consider poor delivery standards to be the worst thing that can go wrong with online shopping. Most customers use eCommerce services for ease, but if deliveries are late or inaccurate it may prevent them from returning to buy more, damaging trust and impact on reputation.

Reduce Time and Effort
Having a good delivery management process in place will also increase your company’s efficiency and reduce the amount of time and effort spent dealing with deliveries. Set aside certain tasks to individuals and ensure everyone knows how their role impacts the overall process to make sure it runs as smoothly as possible. Work with an established delivery management company to take control of the delivery process and ensure they arrive at your customers on time. This will help free up more time for your team to work on other aspects of the business.

How to Achieve Strong Delivery Management
There are a few key things any business can do to improve its delivery management.

Invest in Distribution Infrastructure   
In order to create an efficient delivery management process, especially over busy periods, investing in distribution centre infrastructure is vital. This could be in people, technology, premises and more, to ensure your products are easily accounted for and delivered on time. This can make it easier and more flexible when it comes to delivering your goods and meeting customer demand.  

Plan in Advance
Get a good delivery management process in place early on and you will be able to tweak it to perfection and sort out any problems sooner rather than later. As soon as orders come in you should begin planning to get them out straight away, to waste as little time as possible. Plan every stage in advance to be best prepared.    

Utilise Tracked Services
Tracked services are a good option when sending out deliveries to give you visibility of your goods along the delivery cycle and helps keep your customers updated on their orders. It can also show if there are ways to improve how you manage orders and refine your delivery management processes, helping to uphold your reputation and keep your customers coming back for more.

A customer’s decision to purchase an item can be highly influenced by a company’s delivery options.

Research has found 45% of shoppers have changed their mind about making a purchase because they were dissatisfied with the delivery options available. Significantly over 80% of consumers agree that parcel tracking is important when purchasing online, and therefore offering customers the option to track their goods, is a great way for businesses to retain customers.

Read more on our insight for The Importance of Parcel Tracking for your customers here.