Home delivery of online purchases
Sabine’s crystal-clear holiday photos
” Sabine gets behind her computer with a deep sigh. In four days she leaves for Cuba, a trip she booked almost six months ago. She is going for a month. She is really looking forward to it but she just dropped her precious single-lens reflex camera and the lens is broken. Sabine has a spare camera but she desperately wants to take quality photos on this unique trip. She still has to work this week and has no time to go shopping. On the internet she finds a store that has multiple types of lenses for her camera. Home delivery is free starting at 75 euros and the lens she chooses costs 149 euros. The time of delivery is two days, which is not too bad. Sabine enters her work address as delivery address, just to be sure. Two days later, the phone rings in her office. It is the reception asking if she wants to come and collect a package “
The customer expects an impeccable service, not only offline but also online. He fully trusts that the information on your website is up-to-date and that the set time of delivery is being respected. Because you are retailer with a physical store, you have the advantage of those who only have a web store: It is easy for the customer to return the item to your store. He does not have to repackage the item and go to the post office, and he does not have to pay shipping costs.
PRACTICAL
A smooth home delivery is part of a smooth going logistic process. Who organises the shipment? Maybe you have a separate stock in a central storehouse, specifically for your web store. Everything is being shipped from there.
Do you also ship stock from your stores, than you have to decide whether you want to transfer the item to the central storehouse first or that the item will be shipped directly from the store. That choice influences the achievable time of delivery and the tasks of your store employees.
REMEMBER
- When you sell your stock through your web store, your store employees need to be aware of every online order. That way they can immediately take the item out of the store. It is better to avoid delays. That way, you avoid the possibility that you have to cancel an online order because the item was sold in the store.
- ‘Ship from store’ also means that your store employees need to be able to print a shipping label in the store. They also need to notify the customer that the article was shipped. A connection between your cash register system and your web store is a necessity.
- You also are judged on the services of your courier service. Think about which company you want to hire. How fast do they deliver? Do they deliver on Saturday or Sunday? What do they do when the customer is not home? Do they come back later or do they deliver the package at the neighbours? Costumers appreciate tracking systems, it takes away any uncertainties.
You read the second chapter from ‘Click and collect me if you can – Practical guide written for retailers in the internet era‘
