Online businesses have continuously evolved since they started. Before, business owners only create a business page where they could post photos of their products for their customers to see. Now, they can even create a virtual shopping store where clients can get an awesome virtual shopping experience. Owners can easily manage and grow online shops, even in their homes. On the other hand, shoppers can just sit back and relax while viewing different products they like online. They don’t have to worry about getting tired or visiting a physical store because they can buy a product they want in just a few clicks. Aside from that, several shipping strategies have also arisen, making online shopping more interesting.
A business’s shipping strategy helps define a business. One of the primary reasons why shoppers shop online is convenience. They want to save themselves from the troubles of spending time and hustle visiting malls just to shop for things they need.
The type of effective shipping strategy you offer your clients can greatly impact how well your business will do. If you want to fulfill your duties as a business to your target market, you must take extra care in picking only the best shipping strategies for your online store. Worried about choosing the wrong ones? This post will give you the best guide on selecting the best shipping strategies for your online business.
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Why You Need the Right Shipping Strategy
Finding the best shipping strategies for your online business is a crucial part of being a successful business owner. Not because a certain business claimed they used an effective shipping strategy for their business means you will also pick the same shipping strategy niche. That doesn’t work that way.
If there is one thing you need to learn about businesses and the perfect different shipping strategy they use is that it won’t work for everyone. Thorough research and trial and error are needed for an online business to find its best shipping strategies. But first, why do businesses need to find the perfect shipping strategy? Here are our answers:
1. Better Customer Experience
Customer satisfaction is one of the top reasons why an effective shipping strategy is needed. To get positive feedback, you must do your part and pick the right shipping strategy for your business. Not all types of shipping strategies can fit your business. Your clients will feel more loved and appreciated by having sufficient knowledge of the best shipping strategies. In this way, you can easily grow your audience reach in just a short time. When you use the right shipping strategy, you will also save yourself from all the troubles of spending money, time, and effort on the wrong shipping strategy that could even harm your business.
2. Increase AOV
Average order value or AOV defines how many orders your online business has received for a specific time frame. Having an effective shipping strategy can help you increase your AOV. When you use the right shipping strategy for your business, you encourage more customers to buy from you because you can serve them well. Every time they buy from you and get satisfied with your services, they will return to you and buy again. By understanding how the best shipping strategies work, you aren’t just increasing your functionality as a business but also your sales.
3. Increased Conversions
Some customers tend to go and visit websites just to look for things that might interest them. They visit online shops without a specific product to buy in mind. Conversions are very helpful in an economy where competition between businesses is tough. When a potential customer sees the positive feedback you get due to the effective shipping strategy you used, you immediately earn the chance to make a conversion. Using the right shipping strategy, you can grab every opportunity to convert potential buyers who visit your online store.
Different Shipping Strategy for You
Picking the best shipping strategies is quite hard if you have no idea of one different shipping strategy. To help you understand things better, we listed below two well-known best shipping strategies you can use for your online store.
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1. Free shipping
Free shipping is one of the most common shipping strategies businesses use nowadays. It is one effective shipping strategy wherein you offer a free shipping voucher for certain products you offer on your online store. One thing about this effective shipping strategy is that offering free shipping is highly recommended for high-margin products. This is because high-margin products can guarantee you revenue despite not putting charges for their shipping. Aside from this, many customers are driven to online stores because of one free shipping strategy promotion they saw online. Once they see an online promotion showcasing your free shipping strategy, you can immediately gain curiosity from them, driving them towards your website.
2. Real-Time Costs
Using exact costs for your shipping strategy is also helpful for any online store. Sometimes, offering a free shipping strategy isn’t suitable for online businesses. In cases like these, you can use the real-time shipping rates to ship your products to your customers. By doing this, you can also help empower your online clients to pick the best shipping strategy which fits their online shopping needs. One best example of this is rush orders. Sometimes, an online shopper would be willing to pay higher shipping strategy rates just to get their order immediately. On the other hand, a customer who wants to save money would be willing to wait for a few days to get their order. You can easily adjust your shipping strategies and apply appropriate rates by using real-time costs.
Effective Shipping Strategy Tips and Tricks
Now that we’re done with the basics of shipping strategies, it’s time for you to learn some awesome different shipping strategy tips. Take important notes of these best shipping strategies; one of them could help you ace the world of eCommerce effortlessly.
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1. Choose The Right One
Like what we mentioned in the first part of this blog, choosing the right shipping strategy is essential for online businesses. The type of shipping strategy you pick will massively affect how much your customers will love you. Shipping strategies cannot just affect your business’s sales but as well as each chance you can get to make conversions. This is one of the reasons why it is important to take your time in selecting the best shipping strategies for your online business. Do not settle for what everyone else is using because what suits them might threaten you and your business.
2. Be Competitive
Being competitive is a must in the business world. If you want to be recognized, you must be loud. Being competitive with your shipping strategy rates are helpful ways to get more attention. Offering smaller shipping rates does not mean you are competitive enough. To offer the right shipping strategy, do your research about your area as well as your business’s range. Use the details you get, and do not hesitate to make trials to help yourself learn the perfect match for you. Doing this lets you determine the best shipping strategies to apply to your business.
3. Apply Alternatives
A single shipping strategy isn’t enough to fulfill your customer’s needs. As their provider, you must always equip yourself with a backup plan. Create a set of available shipping methods you can use just in case you need it. By doing this tip, you can easily attract clients to transact with you. This is because they can see that you are not letting things go south and that they are safe with you. It’s like you are hitting two birds with one stone—you get the chance to earn both a sale and loyalty from one customer.
4. Return Shipping Policy
No matter how much effort you make, there will be times when the return of products happens. There would be inevitable cases where customers would think that the product they purchased isn’t the one for them. No matter how much you hate things like this, you are still required to handle such things. To save yourself from the worries of unexpected situations, prepare a return shipping strategy beforehand. You can include such a policy on your online store along with the rates that apply to it. This will let customers see your terms and conditions for product returns and inform them how you do what you do.
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Find the Best Shipping Strategies with Us
Strikingly is among few website builders equipped with powerful eCommerce tools you can use for your business. We let our clients design their online stores easily with our customizable, designer-made templates. Our platform also offers a zero-coding drag and drop function, which can perfectly fit even beginners who want to start an online store and establish an online presence. Aside from that, our eCommerce websites are equipped only with the best shipping strategies you can use for your online transactions. Among them are a flat-rate shipping method, a free shipping policy, multiple-shipping options, a store pick-up option, and a shipping fee per weight option.
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Choosing the right shipping strategy isn’t as tough as you think they are. All you need to do is find the right website building partner to help you figure things out smoothly—just like how we do it here in Strikingly.
Want to learn more about the best shipping strategies for you? Chat with us today.
