The typical customer experience within the retail industry has changed for the better in the last decade. These changes weren’t made in physical retail stores, though. Most changes were made to the online capabilities of most retailers. E-commerce was highly influential on the retail industry, even before COVID-19 restrictions were enforced. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that online shopping has begun to eclipse in-store shopping. Even a single Google search of the right targeted keywords will yield you with dozens of products offered by a selection of retailers. Only online would a consumer be able to compare these products based on their unique features, prices, and customer reviews. As the industry continues to grow, so does its output. Within 2019, nearly $3.5 trillion was spent globally. There’s no sign of slowing down, either.
All notions of the industry are trending upwards, largely in part due to Amazon. Online shopping wouldn’t be half of what it is today without the help of Amazon’s approach. Today, Amazon offers over 12 million different products through their marketplace platform. There’s no shortage of users to buy these products either. Nearly 200 million people visit Amazon’s website each month to browse through these products. Imagine the impact this has on smaller online retailers trying to keep up. Perhaps the hardest aspect for these retailers to keep up with are the expectations that online shoppers have as a result of Amazon, primarily focused around the shipping and delivery capabilities of Amazon.
For many retailers, matching the shipping capabilities of Amazon is impossible. Regardless of this fact, many smaller online retailers have crafted all of the necessary strategies they can in order to adapt to the expectations set forth on them. One of these strategies has been providing shipment tracking updates through a branded tracking page on their website. Perhaps not as effective as Amazon shoppers knowing their product will be delivered in two days or less, but for those concerned with tracking their package and knowing its moving along the delivery process, this is important! A branded tracking page can also improve brand recognition and further fortify the customer’s experience with a business.
If you’re one of those online retailers hoping to get a leg up on Amazon in any accomplishable manner, it’s probably best to start small. Assess the convenience of the online shopping experience of your customers. How easy is it for first-time customers to make a purchase? Will these customers have to create an account? Or will they be able to purchase your products as a guest? Are there any benefits to creating an account? Prioritizing convenience is key when trying to match up to Amazon.
Other considerations can be made to the costs and speeds of shipping that customers will experience from your business. are highly influential factors on a customer’s willingness to buy from any retailer. It’s clear that shipping costs are almost as influential on a customer’s preferences as shipping times. To ensure a significant decrease to both the cost and shipping times of your products, investment into an automated storage and retrieval system meant to improve warehousing and transportation solutions is as good as it gets.
To learn more about how your organization can improve its online capabilities, be sure to take some time to check out the infographic that’s been included alongside this post.
Author bio: John Hinchey is VP of Sales for Westfalia Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of logistics solutions for plants, warehouses and distribution centers. He has more than 20 years of experience in manufacturing and warehouse automation.