So how did over 230 of the leading merchants fare during the 2013 Cyber Monday? This report analyzed retailers response to shipping and delivery timing, free shipping, promotions, returns and customer service.
When Amazon Prime was introduced in 2005, analysts and consumers alike thought it was a risky, expensive venture, however, Amazon Prime members now comprise nearly 10% of Amazon’s purchases, and spend twice as much as non-Prime members. While Amazon has certainly been giving retailers a lot of heartburn recently, there is a way to fight back and all comes down to same-day delivery.
Failing to fulfill customers’ orders in a timely fashion can spell disaster for retailers of any size. Delivering products late can kill sales, batter your reputation and destroy customer loyalty. It can also squander all of the time, money and resources you spent acquiring new customers. Which is exactly why merchants need to remember that the customer experience journey doesn’t end with a sale.
While merchants have been putting forth most of their efforts into creating a customer-centric approach in the contact center and the warehouse, the top initiative by executives moving forward is to also create a customer-centric supply chain.
Every year at about this time, the USPS announces rate changes and many merchants start to panic on how these increases will impact their operation. But there is no need to panic since the rate is expected to have a minimal impact to most, a favorable impact to some, and not so favorable, but tolerable changes for others.
The United States Postal Service has announced that customers will see a price increase of 2.4% effective Jan. 2014 for its shipping services.
While most merchants would prefer to not think about their returns policy, it’s imperative for every ecommerce company to have one. Not only is it good business, but it will also help customers trust your brand and the products that you sell. Here are eight tips designed to get you to master the art of the refund policy.
Shopping habits, shopping devices, and shopping locations are interchangeable in the customer’s eyes, which is why it’s more important than ever for merchants to offer a wide variety of omnichannel fulfillment options, according to Bill Toney, senior vice president, Omnichannel Solutions at VendorNet.
The United States Postal Service expects to see real time tracking in all 67 of its districts by the end of 2013. The move was generated to give “piece of mind” to both the customer and the shipper with 15-minute real time package tracking.
In what Macy’s is calling a continual effort to connect with the ever changing consumer, CEO Terry Lundgren announced plans to see a total of 500 stores double as fulfillment centers by the end of 2013.