How More Shipping Options Mean More Cart Conversions
by EasyPost
Some customers want their products as soon as possible, while others are willing to wait a little longer if it means free shipping. Others want to skip the shipping process entirely and pick up their order at a brick-and-mortar location. The more shipping options you offer your customers, the more likely you will meet a customer’s needs, increase cart conversions, and get repeat business.
No matter what you’re shipping, it’s essential to give your customers options. A survey by SEKO Logistics backs this up, showing that 93% of consumers consider shipping options a significant factor in their online shopping experience.
Here are a few impactful options that businesses both small and large can implement to increase their shipping options and increase their cart conversion rates.
Free shipping
It’s hard to beat free shipping. According to Statistica, free delivery was the number one factor that convinced online shoppers to buy in 2020.
For businesses, however, nothing is free – not even shipping. To offer this perk, you will likely need to offset those margins somewhere. That may include raising your prices or cutting costs elsewhere.
For smaller businesses, free shipping might not be financially viable 24/7. If that’s the case, consider offering it if shoppers hit a certain monetary threshold in their shopping cart, offering one-time promo codes for newsletter subscribers, or open up the option for free shipping exclusively around peak holidays like Black Friday.
If a business successfully implements free shipping, it could make a large impact on cart conversions. But it isn’t the best fit for every business model. Let’s take a look at some more options that may increase online sales.
Shipping and delivery options
If you didn’t offer free shipping, the next best thing would be to give customers options on how they want their product to ship. This is where a multi-carrier approach comes into play. By integrating multiple shipping carriers into your shipping logistics, it is easier to find the best rate depending on the weight of the package, the distance it needs to travel, or the speed of delivery.
This isn’t exclusive to large carriers like USPS, FedEx, and UPS either. There are hundreds of regional carriers across the US that specialize in efficiently reaching smaller areas. They tend to be fast and streamline the process by minimizing hand-offs throughout the shipping process.
The more carriers a business works with, the more options a shopper can choose from. They might be willing to pay higher fees if it means their package will arrive the next day. Or, if they are willing to wait, their patience will be rewarded with lower rates.
By offering more options, customers are more likely to find what they’re looking for and complete the checkout process.
Package tracking
Online shopping, especially when buying from a retailer for the first time, can be a shot in the dark on the buyer’s end. There is always the risk of scams or dishonest business practices in the ecommerce world.
Give customers peace of mind with package tracking throughout every leg of the journey. Even before credit card information is submitted, provide shipping estimates. And once they order, the communication process should continue from the moment their order is processed until it arrives safely at their doorstep. Go the extra mile by working with carriers who can send automated updates over texts or email.
More communication gives customers more confidence in their purchase, and shoppers are nearly unanimous in their thoughts on this. In a study performed by Convey, 93% of shoppers preferred to stay informed and receive proactive updates on their shipment. This puts transparent package tracking right up there with free shipping and delivery options when it comes to encouraging those visiting your site to follow through on orders.
Buy online pick up in-store
Sometimes shoppers want to cut out the shipping process entirely. If you have brick-and-mortar locations, local pick-up is a great option that can lead to even more purchases down the road.
According to Doddle, in a survey of 2,000 U.S. shoppers, 68% reported making multiple, buy online pick-up in-store purchases. And 85% of shoppers said they made an additional in-store purchase when they picked up their order.
Providing this option to customers can help stores mainly known for their physical locations grow in ecommerce and vice versa. Plus, it’s a great way to save since neither the retailer nor the customer has to pay additional shipping fees.
Ship to multiple addresses
Another way to offer flexible shipping options is by allowing customers to ship items to multiple addresses. Particularly around the holidays, shoppers might be interested in sending a gift to a loved one and their home from the same store. Without this option, the purchase will turn into two transactions and increase the risk of heading to another retailer.
Letting customers know this option is available can eliminate the headache of multiple orders. They can get everything they’re looking for out of one web session and ultimately grow business for the company. This is a sign of good customer experience and will keep those who like this feature coming back for more, especially since this isn’t a standard feature throughout ecommerce.
Personalized experience
Offering customers a personalized online experience develops their relationship with the brand. On top of that, it can make for a smoother checkout experience. By giving customers the option to create an account, retailers can save payment and shipping information, making checkout a breeze.
Reusing this information saves potential customers from leaving an ecommerce site before completing checkout. 30% of shoppers said they would click away if required to resubmit credit card information, and 25% said they would do the same if they had to resubmit shipping details, a Statista study found.
Giving the option to those who wish to make an account greatly speeds up checkout and keeps them coming back for more, especially if you reward them.
The more shipping options, the merrier
The game of ecommerce is won in cart conversions. Small businesses can compete with big businesses by offering more specialty shipping options or lower prices. Big companies need to be ever-adapting in their shipping logistics to stay competitive in this landscape.
By offering more shipping types and online features, retailers can enhance their online shopping experience and build a loyal customer base. The best shipping for a business is the one that works for them, and their customers.
At EasyPost, we help our customers win cart conversions by delivering on the latest shipping logistics technology. Our multi-carrier shipping API integration enables our users to offer their customers more options at checkout and helps improve on-time delivery. Sign up for free today!