How to improve delivery times in your e-commerce

E-commerce has a number of particularities that make it complex, such as delivery times. This is one of the most important aspects and can ruin a customer's shopping experience, without the store having the ability to control it

Delivery times are usually divided into two types, standard and express. In the first, the customer receives their order in about two or three days, while in the second the package arrives within 24 hours or even less, depending on the time the order was placed.

The fundamental difference, apart from the time they arrive, is the price, lower in the first case than in the second, and which can be reflected in the shipping costs added to the shopping cart, right at the end.

As a general rule, the customer wants to pay as little as possible and for shipping costs to be free, something that cannot always be, especially for very small purchases or when you want to receive the product right away.

Now, every person who buys something in an online store is different, so buyers have different needs that even vary depending on the moment.

In this way, the same customer may be in a hurry to receive an item on one occasion, because they need it the next day or it is for a gift. But, when making another purchase, they may prefer to wait two or three days if that makes shipping cheaper.

In addition, we must not forget that not everyone who shops online is fine with a courier coming to their home, since due to scheduling issues they may prefer what at InPost we call deliveries to pickup points.

There are several distribution models, such as one in which the store itself handles order delivery, another in which an external delivery service is hired (the classic courier company), and a third that consists of connecting the e-commerce store with local points of sale.

The first model is more common in large marketplaces, which have their own delivery staff, logistics centers, etc. The other two models are the most common to find in shops and e-commerce stores.

Thus, in your online business you can offer door-to-door delivery and the one in which local stores are involved. They do not have to be mutually exclusive, and in fact it is always good to give customers the option to choose the one that interests them most at any given time.

At this moment, the network of Punto Pack that we offer at InPost is the best shipping solution, since from the customer's point of view it is all advantages.

These Punto Pack are neighborhood shops, the ones we have next to home, and which become points for package delivery and collection (many also handle returns), with very extended opening hours.

In this way, when the customer receives the notification by email or SMS, they only have to go to the Punto Pack they chose and pick up their package with the code and their ID, without needing to spend the day at home waiting for the transport company.

There is a period of eight days when collecting a shipment, which gives customers the option to receive the message on a Monday and go on a Saturday morning calmly to the Punto Pack, if it has not been possible to do so during the week due to work obligations.

We must not forget that with this delivery method to pickup points, a large amount of fuel is saved, so deliveries are much more sustainable, so much so that at InPost we have the “Sustainable Delivery” seal.