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E-commerce fulfillment: A Crucial Strategy for Brands to Gain Loyal Customers

The key to a successful brand is to create loyal customers. Loyal customers are more likely to buy from you again because they trust your brand and feel like they know you.

Some brands have been able to create this loyalty by providing excellent customer service and offering discounts for returning customers. Other brands have been able to build their reputation on the quality of their products and smooth delivery process of it which can be hard for customers to find elsewhere.

Do you know that most e-commerce stores make up 43% of their revenue from repeat purchases and the conversion rate of repeat customers is two times higher?

What is e-commerce fulfillment how does it builds customer loyalty?

E-commerce fulfillment is the process of fulfilling orders made over the internet. It is a service that provides customers with delivery options, such as shipping and picking up items from a store.

This includes:

  • Shipping and handling charges
  • Customer service
  • Customer satisfaction

Drop Shipping and delivery service plays a crucial role in customers’ experience with your online business. Around 60% of online purchasers choose the competitors just based on their good and convenient delivery options.

  1. Keep in touch with customers through different channels.

Many companies are now trying to gain customer loyalty by staying in touch with them through multiple channels. This can be done by offering a variety of communication channels that include phone calls, emails, social media, and more.

The key to customer loyalty is offering personalized services. This is why companies need to have a strategy for each channel that they use and tailor it according to the preferences of their customers.

Marketing automation software not only helps you stay in touch with your customers but also provides insights into what they are interested in so that you can tailor the content of your marketing strategy accordingly.

Nowadays, customers are more likely to prefer digital channels for everything from buying products to getting news updates about them and their delivery process.

  1. The key is to be transparent

As the e-commerce industry is booming, it has become important for businesses to be transparent. Customers want to know where their money is going and they want to be able to trust that the business will deliver what it promised.

They can help build trust between the company and its customers and increase its chances of having a successful business in the long term.  In order to achieve this, it is important that you are transparent with your customers and provide them with clear delivery dates as well as no additional charges.

Make sure that you provide your customers with a tracking id so that they can know where their product is at a specific time after purchase. If an e-commerce company has a tech-based 3LP provider a customer can easily keep an eye on the product until it gets delivered and such things make the customer trust your store for purchase next time too.

  1. Have a clear return policy

Having a clear return policy is one of the ways to attract loyal customers. It makes it easier for them to make decisions about what products they want to buy and how much they can spend on them.

There are many benefits of having a clear return policy, one being that it helps in building trust with your customer base and also helps in building your brand identity. There are more than two million online retailers in the United States, and more than 80% of them have a return policy.

A majority of consumers who shop online do so because they want to be able to return their purchase if they are not satisfied with it. In fact, research from the National Retail Federation shows that nearly 70% of shoppers would not buy from a retailer without a clear return policy.

This statistic is important for e-commerce fulfillment companies because it reinforces the importance of having a clear return policy in order to attract loyal customers. Make sure that there are no additional charges involved on return.

  1. Have a fair shipping cost and speed

E-commerce fulfillment is an integral part of any successful business model. It is important for a company to have a clear idea of how much it will cost them to fulfill orders and how long it will take to complete the process.

E-commerce companies that offer fast delivery at a fair price have been shown to have loyal customers who are more likely to purchase again in the future. A study showed that more than 40% of users empty and abandon their carts when they see delivery charges.

It is expected that if your competitor brand is providing free and fast delivery, users are going to prefer them. One way by which you can ensure product delivery on time and in less price is by splitting your inventory rather than keeping one central inventory at inventory management software.

If you are already providing free shipping or a fast delivery you must promote it on your brand’s social sites, websites, and customers’ emails. 

  1. Do not forget to brand your business

Companies are now more focused on the customer experience and not just the product they sell. This has led to an increase in branding efforts as companies try to create distinctive brands that would help them stand out from the competition.

A brand is like a promise. It is a promise that the company will provide the best service and products to its customers. A study shows that 52% of users are going to repeat an online purchase just because of premium packaging ideas with branding and more than 40% will share its snap on a social site. There are many top brand experience design agency, the competition is fierce.

It’s better that your package showcase your brand’s logo, color theme, and design language. This will give you a lot more recognition. This can be tough for small businesses to achieve therefore they can try other tactics of branding such as working on policies.

Branding has a lot to do with your policies not just for the customers but also for how you tackle your delivery men or your employees. One way to ensure a great brand policy is by giving your employee’s worker’s compensation insurance. Your kindness to your staff and employees surely builds a soft corner in customers’ hearts for your brand. 

  1. Provide a personal touch with customer service

Customer service is extremely important because it gives the company a chance to make the customer feel welcomed, valued, and appreciated. Questions that can be answered through customer service include where you can find my product, how long it will take to ship, or where you can purchase additional services. You can also use customer service softwares to increase efficiency. Incorporating QR Codes into packaging or customer communications can further enhance this experience, offering customers quick access to post-purchase support, order tracking, or personalized recommendations, streamlining their journey while maintaining that personal connection.

The best companies are always striving to provide the best experience for their clients, whether it be through delivering an exceptional product or giving them an easy way to reach their desired outcome.

Key Takeaways, 

The success of e-commerce fulfillment depends on how well the brand can understand its customers’ needs and wants, which is why it’s so important for brands to invest in building relationships with their customers.

Gaining new customers is harder than keeping the ones you have, so it’s best to provide your customers with an amazing experience once they purchase your product. Your policies must be welcoming so that they earn their loyalty.

Author Bio: Aabhas Vijay

Aabhas is the founder of Avija Digital a complete digital PR agency for online Strategy and Marketing, Expert in providing consultation as a content strategist for SaaS and tech brands. He began his career in digital marketing in 2016, which continues to this day. He spends his free time in the gym, playing board games, and learning new technologies in IT sector.