6 Tips for optimizing business shipments

Businesses do not always give shipments the importance they should, since a bad experience with them means that a customer will not buy again or will think twice about making another purchase, no longer giving so much importance to the price or the quality of the product.

Businesses do not always give shipments the importance they should, since a bad experience with them means that a customer will not buy again or will think twice about making another purchase, no longer giving so much importance to the price or the quality of the product.

Use proper planning

There are times of year when more shipments go out than usual. Depending on the sector, there are Christmas, Black Friday, sales, the start of the school year, summer, etc.

A company should know what those periods of the year are and prepare, especially by speaking with those who handle logistics in order to make sure they will be able to cope with the increase in shipments.

Use a reliable shipping service

Choosing a shipping service based on price is usually a bad idea. It should be remembered that in the case of online commerce, the most common thing is for the customer to only have contact with the store through the messaging service. That is why one should always choose a reliable one.

Offer flexible delivery options or shipment to pickup points

Shipment to pickup points is increasingly in demand by customers, as it makes it easier for them to receive their packages even if they spend the day away from home for work or study.

Small businesses or local shops, known as Punto Pack, are usually used in order to make deliveries and, even, to manage returns. There are also lockers (Locker) in places with a lot of foot traffic, normally open for long periods of time, even 24 hours in the case of those located outdoors.

Personalize packaging

When there is no direct relationship with the customer, everything possible should be done in order to improve brand image. This can be achieved by personalizing packaging.

This includes the company colors, name, logo, store URL, a catchy message, etc. Creativity can be given free rein, something that will be highly valued by those who receive the packages.

Reduce delivery times

Customers generally do not want to know anything about possible logistical difficulties. In fact, the only thing that usually matters is that the package arrives within the expected time, especially during peak shipping periods.

Pickup point shipments help with this, since a single courier can leave hundreds of packages in a few hours, something that is not possible with “traditional” delivery.

Establish a clear returns policy

Whichever company handles the shipments, what is certain is that it will have to deal with returns, the number of which depends on the sector, since they are not the same in the case of books as in that of computer equipment, for example.

In this way, it must always be clear where returns are made, in what form they are carried out, what cost they will have for the customer, in which cases they will be free, etc.

At InPost we can help make them more agile and economical, since our Punto Pack | Locker system not only makes deliveries easier, but also serves for pickups, including returns from online stores, which are much cheaper this way.