E-Commerce Shipping Best Practices

Ahh the shipping page. The un-welcome step in every eCommerce site's checkout process. Because many sites fail to answer basic questions such as "how long will it take?" or "how much will it cost?", many sales are lost at this important juncture. Some research shows that shipping concerns top the list of reasons why people abandon shopping carts. Below, I've listed some shipping best practices that I've used that help streamline the process for both the consumer and the company.

Don't Require Login to View Pricing: Don't make your customers jump through hoops in order to get a shipping price. Customers should be able to see the cost for shipping on the shopping cart page. If you base your prices on the location where the order will be shipped, give people the ability to enter their zip code for a quote.

Info on Product Page: Questions about shipping should be addressed early and often. A popup link on the product page is a great way to give customers price quotes or shipping time estimates.

Link to Shipping Page from Shopping Cart: In the shopping cart where customers select the shipping method, be sure to link to a page with more information regarding each option. On this page, specify estimated delivery dates for each region.

International Shipping Page: International shipping can be complex, so be sure to give a detailed explanation in order to calm the fears of international shoppers. Explain possible delays, and well as customs fees the customer can expect to pay.

Don't Make Shipping a Profit Center: Customers are very sensitive to high shipping prices, so don't jack up your rates for profit. Some companies, like Columbia House, got in trouble for deceptively profiting off shipping and handling charges.

Offer Free Shipping at Level Above your Average Order: If your average order is $50, consider offering free shipping at $60 in order to increase your average order.

Ship Next Business Day: I can't stand it when companies sit on your order for days before it ships. Make it a point to process orders within 1 business day.

Ship Express Same Day: If possible, ship 2 Day or 1 Day Express orders the same day, up to a certain cutoff time. I've found that many customers don't realize that when they choose "1 Day" shipping, there may also be 1 day of processing, making their package arrive a day later than expected.

Email Tracking Number: I would guess that most companies do this, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Email your customers promptly with their tracking information. Also, be sure the email contains a link directly to the tracking detail page. I find it highly irritating when companies just send you to the carriers' tracking page and you have to enter the tracking number manually from the email.

Discounted International Shipping: Don't forget your international customers when it comes to shipping promos. While its probably not feasible to offer free international shipping, you should give your out-of-country customers a discount of some type.

Karmaloop offers free domestic shipping and $5 off international shipments when you reach a certain level.

Under Promise, Over-deliver: Under promising and over-delivering is important in all aspects of customer service, not just shipping. To ensure that you don't promise and unrealistic delivery times, you may want to add 1 day of padding on to your delivery times estimates.

you can simplify the shipping process for both your customers and your
fulfillment operations.