Entice your customer with flexible and smart last-mile delivery options:
4 tips to increase conversion rates
Tempt your customer. Not only by having them fill their shopping basket with attractive products, but also with a smart checkout. The question is, of course, what is a smart checkout? Flexible and intelligent last-mile delivery options are key elements, but there is more. We have gathered four important tips to entice your customer to make a purchase in your online shop and increase your conversion rates.
Here are the 4 tips that we will discuss:
- 1. Respond to cultural aspects
- 2. Automatically calculate what is/is not feasible at the time of delivery
- 3. Be clear and dispel doubts
- 4. Appeal to the customer’s feelings
But before we go any further, let’s cover the basics…
Know your customer, increase conversion rates
Tempting your customer to make a purchase is, in theory, fairly simple. Many an online shop owner will admit that in practice it is more difficult. Successful online shops do have one thing in common: they know their customers well. Suppose that as an online shop you serve consumers in various countries, then you absolutely must be aware of the cultural aspects in the different countries that you operate in. That brings us to tip number one.
Tip 1: Respond to cultural aspects.
The differences in what consumers do and do not accept in different countries are enormous. In the Netherlands, it is quite common to have a package delivered at the neighbour’s house. This also means that this option must be visible at the checkout.
In France, having a package delivered to your neighbour’s house is just ‘not done’. There, it is worthwhile promoting the use of pick-up points.
In Germany, on the other hand, fixed delivery locations, such as lockers, are commonplace.
So, if you want to be successful at the checkout and increase your conversion rates, you have to think about what you need to consider at the checkout stage as well.
Tip 2: Automatically calculate what is/is not feasible at the time of delivery
The use of package lockers is rising sharply. As an online shop, you can use these to offer customers a delivery option for when they are not at home. The consumer picks up the parcel when it suits them. The big ‘but’ here is that you, as an online shop, must be accurate. Do not offer this option if the package locker is full, for example.
With the help of a widget, this can be easily automated. This widget can be used in a wider range of applications, for example, to calculate when a carrier can deliver where. Behind the scenes, the widget takes a number of things into account when calculating. These include aspects such as where the customer’s warehouse is located, what their opening hours are, what the cut-off time is and how long it takes to get an item to a customer. The widget also calculates the rate for transport and when the delivery can take place. Building a calculation tool like that yourself is almost impossible to do as an online shop.
“A widget can be used for a wide range of applications during the checkout”
Tip 3: Be clear and dispel doubts
Then, there is the aspect of logical communication. If something is logical, the consumer will experience it as such and trust the information. Still, many online shops can vastly improve in this area. Some messages can unconsciously create a huge threshold for a purchase.
For example, a consumer who wants to order a product with a delivery time of two to three working days, but who also knows that there is a weekend and possibly a holiday in between will certainly hesitate to place the order. The message ‘delivery will take place between 19 and 21 January’ removes that doubt and increases conversion rates. Companies invest a lot of money in optimising colours, buttons and Google ads, but they often forget the all-important delivery messages.
Tip 4: Appeal to the customer’s feelings
Sometimes you simply have to use a few tricks to entice the customer into making a purchase. Here too, logic plays a major role. If delivery with DPD is free, but DPD is not well-known in that specific region, it will not increase conversion rates. In such a case, indicate what DPD is, which will increase reliability. Always mention the expected arrival day and time. Also make a distinction between products. If a consumer buys an expensive product, it is not appropriate to state that they ‘will receive a package from the postal service’. With expensive products the customer always wants a message from you as a seller about the purchase of the beautiful product. Finally, do not forget to add as many shipping options as possible, from standard and less flexible, to solutions specifically aimed at the flexible last-mile, such as Budbee and Trunkrs. The trick is that consumers simply appreciate these smart targeting choices and that translates into higher conversion rates.
In conclusion – entice your customer with nifty options and increase your conversion rates
A flashy website and an easily-filled shopping basket are not the be all and end all. The consumer still has to check out. Making this checkout successful is not always easy, but the shrewd tips in this blog will definitely help lower the threshold to order. The advantages of a widget, such as the Paazl version, are not to be underestimated. Are you curious about the possibilities of this widget? Let’s talk!
Paazl is a leading shipping service provider (SSP) for brands & retailers in e-commerce. Its all-in-one, multi-carrier platform unburdens the delivery process across webshop, warehouse, customer service and returns. Paazl enables logistical flexibility, consumer loyalty, cost transparency and (inter)national growth. Customers include industry leaders such as G-Star Raw, Rituals, VanMoof, Tag Heuer, Leenbakker and Under Armour.