Retailers face many unique challenges when selling online to international markets. For example, U.S. merchants need to know what imports are prohibited; when to apply import duties, taxes and tariffs; and how to comply with country-specific forms, country-specific product coding, and local shipping rules.
While online retail has seen rapid growth, an overwhelming majority of U.S. retail sales take place offline (92%) according to Forrester Research. A survey done by Ripen eCommerce took a look at why consumers would most likely make the purchase in-store vs. online.
Endicia CEO Amine Khechfé shares some more best practices for making returns of items purchased online easier for consumers.
Omnichannel is a studied approach to meet all of these customer expectations. In order to do so successfully, retailers must reevaluate their logistics business model by putting the focus on fulfilling more orders, faster throughput and lower costs. The first step in that process is understanding the trends that define the omnichannel marketplace.
GoECart has partnered with Bongo International to make global ecommerce easier and quicker for GoECart customers.
Endicia’s first-of-its-kind “pay-on-use” returns system allows online retailers to send non-prepaid USPS return labels, so postage is only deducted if the returned item hits the mail stream.
Sometimes an item doesn’t fit, it doesn’t match and sometimes customers simply just change their minds. Whatever the reason, returns are business critical and can affect the customer experience. Here are a few tips to help you “up” your returns game.
Consumers want more flexibility in shipping and fulfillment, including the ability to select delivery dates and times, and to reroute packages based on personal preferences. With consumers placing a heavy emphasis on shipping in retail decision-making, it’s critical for retailers to explore new ways to leverage logistics strategy as a driver of omnichannel success.
As more and more merchants focus their ecommerce energy into creating a customer-centric organization, one of the best ways to set yourself apart from the competition is through your returns policy. Regardless of why a consumer returns a good, there are ways for merchants to develop an effective and efficient returns process that keeps customers coming back for more.
Which is more important in the eyes of the consumer this holiday: free shipping, delivery tracking, shipping options, or overall shipping costs? The answer, well, all depends on which demographic you are trying to secure but simply a wide variety of shipping options could be the key to offering the best shopping experience to consumers this holiday season.
