The COVID-19 pandemic caused many interruptions in global supply chains. These include worker shortages, lockdowns, and slow port turnaround times. testogel Increasing shipping delays.
Both retailers and customers have felt the effects of these problems. With shipping delays, retailers may lose revenue from being unable to stock their high-demand products. As a result, their customer relationships suffer.
Shipping delays impact retailers in the following ways:
- Damage to Brand Trust
Consumers tend to blame retailers for later deliveries. This is mainly because they rely on retailers to deliver products on time and feel disappointed when their orders don’t show up when they expect them to.
This disappointment may lead to future concerns with the brand regarding delivery times. As a result, customers may be less inclined to re-order products in the future.
- Loss of Revenue
Shipping delays may also result in a loss of revenue for the business. Customers tend to avoid shopping from businesses with slow delivery times or inconsistent schedules.
As a result, they may abandon their purchases, such as with cart abandonment, or shop from competitors. Businesses should pay attention to their cart abandonment rate and develop a strong abandoned cart recovery strategy.
Shipping Delays: What is making that happen?
To avoid shipping delays, businesses should understand what causes them. It will also help improve customer satisfaction and the entire customer experience. This includes mastering and truly understanding last-mile delivery and how it can affect customer retention.
Here are five causes of shipping delays:
- Holidays
The holidays are something that many people look forward to each year. During the holiday season, online orders increase, especially for an eCommerce business.
This increase in online orders comes from businesses capitalizing on their customers’ urge to purchase gifts. They offer discounts, promotions, and major sales in their online stores.
With the increase in orders comes to an increase in shipment volumes, and 3PL fulfillment warehousing services may lead to overwhelming shipping capacities. To avoid shipment delays due to the large volume of orders, businesses must plan to establish efficient logistics systems.
Such logistics systems may include:
- Learning how to print shipping labels.
- Using a shipping policy template.
- Utilizing different eCommerce shipping and 3PL fulfillment warehousing solutions.
It’s also possible to strategically plan out your business’s promotional offers over multiple days to avoid having too many orders in a short period.
- Incorrect Documentation
Not having the right documents for your shipments can cause shipping delays. This is possible during different parts of the shipping process, including when the package leaves the port of origin, clears customs, or arrives at the final destination.
- Inadequate Technology
Using old software during shipping isn’t efficient. It may cause problems due to the inability to integrate new features and technologies that may help avoid or mitigate shipping delays.
By investing in updated shipping technology, such as using cloud-based software, businesses can provide a more streamlined approach to the shipping process. This includes 3PL, which allows transportation companies to stay connected using real-time data.
- Weather Conditions
Delivery businesses must prioritize safety at all times. With this, they also have to consider weather conditions, which are out of their control. Harsh weather conditions may cause road shut-downs and, in turn, cause delays due to slow transits.
It can get frustrating for businesses and customers alike. However, there aren’t many businesses can do to ensure timely deliveries when harsh weather conditions are to blame.
- Customs
Regarding international shipments, customs are a massive factor in shipping delays. It’s crucial to have all required documents handy to avoid issues and delays as much as possible.
Delays are inevitable without the necessary documentation, which can jumpstart additional complications with cargo inspections. If customs hold up items, businesses should have a backup plan ready. This includes having relationships with courier services that keep up with accurate documentation.
Make the most of 3PL Warehousing with Shipive.
Get connected for a quote now. Shipive is all about providing fulfillment and warehousing solutions at unbeatable rates and quality service. We don’t deal in shipping consignments, forwarding the shipments to the nearest fulfillment center.