An estimated £810
million was spent in the UK last year on Black Friday – almost double the figure
for the previous year. For 2015, internet sales alone on November 27th are
expected to surpass £1bn
for the first time in UK history, well outstripping Boxing Day. Experts expect this year to be particularly
important for online sales, as many retailers are toning down the hype around
discounts in their physical stores following some ugly scenes on the high
street last year. According to retail consultancy Fitch, nine out of ten
shoppers will look for Black Friday bargains online this year. Ebay has
announced that it expects 9m Brits to visit its site during the day.
But with such a
great opportunity, many online retailers are missing a trick. The orders are
placed, the checkout is complete, but the relationship too often comes to an
end there – well before the excited customer has their newly purchased bargain
safely in their hands. The most
beautifully designed website and smooth purchase process will be erased from
the customer’s memory if their shopping experience is followed by an
unsatisfactory delivery. Keeping a
customer in suspense and requiring them to log in to a carrier’s website with a
shipping number that provides little useful information or reassurance is a
sure way to leave a negative brand impression.
This period between
checkout and receipt of a parcel is a crucial part of the customer experience
but is frequently overlooked by retailers. For the majority of brands in the
UK, the only contact with the consumer during the delivery process occurs if
there is a problem. This can put a major strain on members of the customer
service team, who will always be on the back foot when this happens, obliged to
remedy a situation in which the customer is already disgruntled. The fervour of
Black Friday can cool very quickly while the goods are still in transit if
everything fails to go smoothly.
There is a new way
to approach parcel tracking, however, which doesn’t allow the customer
relationship to dwindle after checkout. It is now possible for retailers to
take the logistics information from the carriers and to regain control of the
customer communication process. Rather than handing the relationship over to
the carrier during delivery, retailers can continue the conversation with the buyer
within the framework of their own website. Updates on the progress of the delivery
can be accompanied by further sales messages where appropriate. If issues occur
with the delivery, retailers are able to alert the customer in good time or
arrange for an alternative delivery method, thereby pre-empting any complaints.
This approach has
already become commonplace in France, where major retailers such as 3Suisses,
Darty and Conrad providing customers with delivery information through their
own website interface. Toy retailer King Jouet successfully reduced the number
of incoming calls by over 70% in its busiest season by keeping customers
informed about the progress of their Christmas purchases.
It’s time for
online retailers to reclaim the delivery process as their own. Outsourcing
logistics to third party experts still makes perfect sense but that doesn’t
mean that we need to outsource the customer relationship too. Taking control of
parcel tracking information is the logical extension of the brand experience
that you already provide to your customer.
A real opportunity exists to extend that experience right through to the
moment when the parcel is delivered – because a sale doesn’t end at the
checkout.
by Florent Aonon is Head of UK Sales at ITinSell
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