The everyday consumer’s penchant for online shopping has grown exponentially over the past few years. In fact, e-commerce transactions account for about 15% of total retail sales, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau.
That number climbed gradually during each quarter of 2022. This trend will likely continue, as the rise in e-commerce sales is outpacing overall retail growth. During the fourth quarter of 2022, e-commerce increased 6.5% over the fourth quarter of 2021. In that same period, total retail sales grew 5.7%.
As the popularity of online shopping increases, so do consumer expectations around shipment visibility and on-time delivery. 88% of customers expect faster shipping and delivery from other e-commerce retailers (besides Amazon) (Source) and 93% of customers expect regular updates on their orders (Source). This can lead to challenges for many retailers, especially when relying on generic carrier tracking solutions. project44 data shows that to compete, retailers today need to continually cut delivery times and improve post-purchase customer communication.
When delays or other issues occur during transit, consumers are generally provided with vague, often incomplete information about the problem through generic tracking pages that simply pass along carrier data, or by being directed to carrier tracking websites. With limited information at their fingertips, this often leads people to call the retailer directly in order to gain clarity, tying up call center phone lines and threatening the customer’s continued loyalty to the brand. These calls are a significant burden for retailers, as WISMO requests can cost up to $5 each.
project44 has observed those pain points and stepped in to solve them through the launch of its new configurable branded tracking pages and branded alerts, which combines a powerful last mile p44 dataset that can uncover exceptions that carriers cannot with a highly flexible drag and drop user experience that allows e-commerce and marketing teams to create fully customized tracking pages and alerts in minutes.
“E-commerce delivery has continued to increase in complexity as the number of delivery options grows and consumer expectations for faster delivery times increase,” said Jett McCandless, founder and CEO of project44. “Our new customizable, self-service software solutions provide digital experience, customer care and logistics teams the power to differentiate on customer experience and create loyalty after a purchase is made.”
To stand out from the crowd, retailers must provide top-notch customer service. This is especially true when order issues occur. To improve customer satisfaction and decrease “where is my order” (WISMO) requests, they must be able to identify issue orders quickly, share accurate, up-to-date tracking information and shipping alerts with customers frequently, and communicate with customers based on their order status, region, or service levels.
Without high-quality tracking and communication, consumers become frustrated and confused. Without consistent branding, they are less likely to associate their positive experience with the retailer once the transaction is complete. When shoppers receive that high-quality information via a sleek, branded platform, they are more likely to form positive associations with the retailer and become repeat customers.
project44 offers Configurable Branded Tracking & Alerts as part of its larger suite of retail offerings. This solution allows retailers to create custom, branded tracking pages without the help of designers and developers.
Configurable Branded Tracking and Alerts allow retailers to put more relevant information on their tracking pages. They can pass on improved, more accurate data than carriers can deliver alone, and they have the flexibility to change or adjust pages using drag and drop vs other solutions which rely on dev resources. Critically, they can also send batch communications to customers based on their order status, region, service level or other factors.
“Configurable Branded Tracking allows us to proactively communicate with customers about shipment status to reduce WISMO requests in a manner that reflects our brand voice and is easy for our team to update and customize,” according to VP of Supply Chain at Abercrombie & Fitch Kristen Kravitz.
Along the same lines, the company’s new branded alert solution allows clients to customize copy and design shipment alerts pushed out to customers via email and text, ensuring that the brand’s voice and presentation are cohesive at every stage of the buying process.
Incorporating branded tracking pages and alerts is about more than aesthetics. A strong brand presence has tangible benefits for businesses, including:
- Increased team efficiency
- Reduced “where is my order” (WISMO) requests and call center costs
- Increased customer satisfaction
- Increased customer loyalty
With project44’s latest offering, companies can also send customized messages to their customers in the tracking page based on 25 different shipping statuses, allowing for greater specificity and reduced frustration.
A generic tracking experience does not promote customer satisfaction or drive loyalty. With project44, retailers can take this often frustrating stage of delivery and turn it into an asset, rather than a liability.