Post-Purchase Experience: 6 Ways to Earn Post-COVID

Whether you’re shipping with FedEx, UPS, or USPS, delayed deliveries are a major side effect of COVID-19. The current Postmaster, Louis DeJoy, told a US Senate Committee the virus was the root cause of these issues. He added that the availability of Postal Service employees has dropped 4% on average, and up to 25% in urban areas! Unfortunately, customers are more likely to hold your brand accountable for these delivery delays.

You may not be able to control the performance of your carrier, but you can change your approach. Ecommerce order tracking has evolved, and customers expect proactive SMS/email notifications about their shipments. This allows you to get ahead of any unforeseen issues ahead of time to put customers at ease. 83% of shoppers surveyed before the pandemic said they expected follow up notifications from retailers, and the importance is rising.

It’s also important to provide customers with a detailed tracking page that contains information about their purchase and shipment. Ideally this will be fully branded, giving you the chance to educate the customer as well as upsell and cross sell. A well built tracking page will empower customers to handle simple issues on their own. Couple this with a good support team for complicated problems, and you have a winning formula for creating positive touchpoints.

Implementing a good backend system is important because the caveat to these initiatives is that they actually have to work! Monica Eaton-Cardone sums this up in her May 2020 article for Forbes. “Contemporary shoppers have little patience for apps and other digital offerings that are prone to lagging, crashes, and other errors.”

• No stock – no worry. Well, it’s not that simple but make the most of every visit to your site by offering restock messages, pre-purchases, or thoughtful alternative products. Go the extra mile whether that means shipping from multiple locations or making it easy for customers to cancel an order.

• When in doubt, follow the leader. In this case, that leader is Amazon and the thing you should follow is taking out the guesswork when it comes to an order’s ETA.

• Don’t be shy, your customers want to hear from you after a shipment. Post-purchase notifications are more important than ever before, so keep them updated!

• It’s a topsy turvy world in retail right now where stores are distribution centers. Concepts like curbside pickup and returns are here to stay, so it’s best to implement these processes now before it’s too late.

• People just want their money back when a purchase doesn’t work out. Make this painless and they’re a lot more likely to become loyal customers.

• Throw your old customer service metrics away. Today’s online shoppers are looking for compassion and many types of advocacy when they call, so give it to them! Train your team in the art of soft skills and emotional intelligence to truly connect with customers.