The rate of growth of the e-commerce space over the last few years has been phenomenal, and in the current scenario, is eating into the market share of brick and mortar stores. Thousands of businesses are now going digital to cater to their consumers who are increasingly going online to buy products. In the e-commerce space, one of the foremost ways of standing out against competition is by providing fast shipping and visibility into their last-mile delivery.
Shippo, a company that provides for the entire shipping needs of businesses through their interactive web-platform has announced the launch of their new feature called Tracking Pages at the annual Shoptalk conference in Las Vegas yesterday. Tracking Pages is a web-tool that allows retailers to customize the shipping experience for their customers and make the interactions as seamless as possible.
“When done right, shipping can help retain loyal buyers at checkout and beyond,” said Laura Behrens Wu, CEO of Shippo. “But without a well-thought-out approach, you will also see customers drop off. Tracking Pages is another way we’re creating a one-stop-shop for shipping—by providing the best order tracking experience to help online retailers connect with and re-engage their buyers.”
Clients can access Tracking Pages from the existing Shippo web application. Apart from having the option to customize its interface, it is also available programmatically for existing APIs. The pages are mobile-responsive for end users to see on any type of device.
Behrens Wu understands the need for creating last-mile delivery visibility and how it goes a long way in helping businesses retain their customer base. “Even though the delivery is done by a carrier, customers will always tie the shipment experience with a brand. By owning the communication method, e-commerce businesses can fill the information gap between the purchase and when the package arrives at their doorstep,” she said.
Research shows that customers who are into tracking their packages visit their order tracking pages 3.1 times on average. The time between a customer’s moment of purchase and the delivery is when businesses command their customer’s full attention, which can be channeled towards creating a personalized experience for long lasting impact. Based on customer interests, businesses can passively urge them towards products using special offers and tailor-made recommendations.
“Our vision overall is to be the smartest multi-carrier platform with the most robust last-mile data set to provide ease-of-use recommendations back to our users in our ecosystem–which includes shippers, carriers, and end customers,” said Behrens Wu.
In the times of digitalization and cut-throat competition, just having a great product is not going to win businesses their market share. The future is about moving the focus away from basic transactions to offering compelling brand experiences through higher levels of personal service. Data collection and analytics would play a huge role in understanding the target audience, wherein Shippo believes Tracking Pages would be of enormous value.
“By pairing extensive tracking capabilities with data you have about end customers, you can create opportunities to bring them back to your stores,” said Behrens Wu.
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