Shopping online provides consumers with greater convenience, but it can also come with more risks. Shoppers are wary of being stuck with products they don’t want, that get lost in transit or that are difficult to return.

In order for retailers to improve their sales and customer loyalty, they need to provide the best shipping options available. With order management software that integrates shipping and inventory information into one easy tracking process, it’s easier than ever to provide those essential shipping services.

Making returns easier on customers
According to a study conducted by UPS and comScore, convenience is the No. 1 driving factor behind why consumers make their purchasing decisions. So when shoppers face challenges in the process of receiving their ordered products, that critical convenience factor is eliminated.

For example, returns are a big area of concern for online shoppers. While 82 percent of surveyed consumers were in favor of easy return policies like the ability to exchange a product purchased online in a physical store location, or being sent a pre-paid return label with their order, only 50 percent said they are currently satisfied with the ease of returns for their retailers they use.

Providing shoppers with multiple return options to fit their needs makes their ordering experience better, but can complicate data on the retailer’s end. That’s why streamlining all order processes into one system is critical for sales success. It makes a simplified action that saves retailers’ time and gives customers a unified, cohesive shopping experience.

Order management software can solve the return issue by connecting all of the processes in one easy-to-use system. Inventory for all online, brick-and-mortar and mobile stores is tracked in one database. This allows retailers to automatically update inventory information across all of their channels with the click of a single button. No need to stress over inputting a product that was purchased from one place and returned through another – the information will be instantly shared across all relevant fields.

Instantly share tracking information with customers so they know where their products are.

Consumers want to know where their orders are
Shipping options are important to customers. According to the Deloitte firm’s Omnichannel Retail report, 69 percent of surveyed consumers said delivery options were an important part of their shopping experiences. The study also found that a quick delivery was more important to retailers than to customers. Seventy percent of retailers said that the ability to get a product to the buyer within three days was important, while only 56 percent of shoppers were concerned with getting their orders that quickly.

Customers will generally wait up to seven days for an order without complaint, especially if a longer wait means they can pay a smaller shipping fee, but they want to have the options. Providing different delivery timelines improves a shopper’s experience.

Regardless of the delivery date they choose, shoppers want to know their products will arrive when they’re told they will. By providing tracking information to customers as soon as their order is placed, it keeps them in the loop about where their products are and can prevent them from feeling frustrated.

Retailers can make this easier on themselves by using a shipping management system that automates these communications instantly. The shipping software can also calculate the most accurate timelines and prices so that retailers don’t have to, and can post the information directly online. SalesWarp does this by connecting with best-of-breed shipping solutions including UPS, USPS, FedEx, Endicia, ShipWorks, and ShipStation, allowing retailers to rate shop, process a shipment, and update tracking information all within our interface. This simplifies the process for businesses while giving customers the options and information they demand so that fewer online shopping carts end up abandoned.