Owning the post-purchase experience in the world of ecommerce

A rising trend

‍

The post-purchase experience captures the period of time from when an online order is placed with a retailer through to delivery. Historically, retailers have had very limited insight into this step of the ecommerce journey; carriers are in charge of the entire process, owning the only face-to-face interaction with online shoppers. 

‍

As such, the customer experience is heavily influenced by the quality of the carrier. With the bar for customer satisfaction constantly rising — consumers are now expecting fast shipping, hassle-free returns and personalised support — many legacy players are falling behind fast. In fact, according to a 2022 report by the delivery software company Metapack, as many as 93% of consumers have had a bad post-purchase experience in the last 12 months. 

‍

Research also shows that acquiring a new customer can cost up to 25 times more than retaining one. Just a 5% increase in customer retention rates can increase profits from 25% to 95%. As a result, there is an increasing focus on the post-purchase experience from the retailer end, with a push towards maintaining greater visibility and control to maximise customer lifetime value. 

‍

How deliveries create a positive customer experience 

‍

So how can companies start owning the customer journey in this new era of ecommerce? 

The post-purchasing experience heavily relies on a positive delivery experience, where many of the customer pain points revolve around issues related to poor communication, delays and lost items. According to research by Scurri, the key to leaving a lasting positive impression is:

• on-time deliveries (66%)
• order accuracy (57%)
• having items in good condition when they arrive (41%) 
• fast delivery (47%)
• and a courteous delivery team (38%)

While many legacy couriers are choosing speed over everything else, modern couriers are instead focusing on all contributing factors, creating an overall better delivery experience that enables retailers to drive customer loyalty and retention. 

‍

Partnering with the right logistics systems and delivery carriers can help combat recurrent pain points, allowing brands to surprise their customers with a flawless experience. That includes retailers having: 

• Successful on-time and first-time deliveries to reduce customer WISMOs 
• Comprehensive dashboards for complete control and full visibility of parcel status
• Dedicated account managers and on-demand retailer support
• Customised emails and SMS communications

Anton Muratov, Growth Manager at HIVED, talked about the importance of having instant support in the post-purchase journey: "Retailers know there’s nothing more frustrating than being left on hold for an hour, trying to figure out what’s happened with their shipments. That’s why at HIVED, for example, our retailers are only a click away from being in touch with their account manager on whichever communication tool they already use at work. This close cooperation allows the retailers we work with to make sure every delivery lives up to the high standards of their brand experience”.

‍

Overall, investing in strategies to improve a positive post-purchase experience has never been more important. By partnering with the right carrier, retailers can save time and money, reduce churn and increase customer lifetime value with easy performance management and a fantastic customer experience, from checkout to delivery. See what recipients are saying about HIVED here.

‍

____________________________________________________________________________

‍

HIVED is reinventing parcel delivery with efficiency, sustainability and modern technology, allowing retailers to take control of the end-to-end customer experience. Curious about shipping with HIVED? Fill out the contact form here or contact our team directly via live chat or email us at hey@hived.space.

‍

Have any questions or comments? Feel free to reach out to us at hey@hived.space. For the latest news and updates, follow us on Twitter @HivedHQ, Instagram @hivedhq or TikTok @hivedhq.