E-COMMERCE
Harnessing the ultimate power of the internet for e-tailers and merchants that sell online.
The internet has provided us with an unprecedented means of selling goods and services. Without it, the economy as we know it now simply wouldn’t be possible.
If you’re in the business of selling online, whether you’re an enormous multinational or a one-person operation, you’ll be reliant on the right shipping solution. With more than six years’ experience in the industry, we’re able to provide precisely that. We work alongside a host of different courier services, including some of the world’s biggest names:
With more than 1.2 billion e-commerce parcels sent in 2016, we live in an Industry which is growing at 16% per year against a UK economy which is growing at just over 1%. Do you have all the right knowhow, software and courier services to fully realise the potential of your business?
As such, we’re able to find a courier for just about every situation. We won’t take a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn’t account for the unique needs of your business – we’ll instead examine the way each transaction goes through, the areas of the world to which you’re shipping, and the demands of your customers. After doing so, we’ll be able to implement a courier solution that’ll integrate seamlessly into your business – keeping costs as low as possible, while ensuring that deliveries arrive speedily and reliably.
In 2016, 95% of e-commerce deliveries were made using 3 services:
- Economy UK – 40%
- Next Day UK – 30%
- International – 25%
Are you missing out on International customers? Do you have an cross-border strategy and an effective method of delivering to international customers?
But shipping isn’t the only thing that makes a good online retailer. We’ll also need to take a look at the other components of a successful delivery chain. These might include taking a look at how the stock in your warehouse is managed. After all, you won’t be able to deliver goods if you don’t have them to hand – and you won’t be able to receive them if there’s no room to put them!
If we look at the destinations of parcels sent in 2016, we can see:
- SCOTLAND – 6%
- SCOTTISH ISLANDS – less than 1%
- NORTH EAST – 5%
- NORTH WEST – 10%
- ISLE OF MAN – less than 1%
- NORTHERN IRELAND – 2%
- WALES – 3%
- EAST MIDLANDS – 9%
- WEST MIDLANDS – 7%
- SOUTH WEST – 6%
- GREATER LONDON – 14%
- SOUTH EAST – 13%
- CROSSBORDER – 25%
How well do your current couriers deliver in the UK? Do your current couriers have the right spread of geographic coverage for the UK and overseas? Do you use 1 courier for all you deliveries? How good are they at delivering in rural areas and first time?
We can also evaluate the technological aspect of your business. Modern inventory software is capable of vastly enhancing the way that stock is monitored as it moves from one place to another. The right tools will allow your staff to do their job far more swiftly and effectively, and justify their cost many times over. We’ll be able to recommend the right software solution for your online business, and thereby keep your business competitive for years to come.
One often-neglected component of an e-commerce operation is the way in which it deals with missteps. A returned item must be processed quickly and effectively, and customer complaints must be addressed and accounted for. Of course, few businesses fail to do this out of a lack of will. But all the good will in the world won’t be able to get the item processed and returned, if the systems to do so aren’t in place!
According to the IMRG UK Consumer Home Delivery Review, the cost of failed delivery in the UK was around £800 million in 2016. Also the main reasons for a failed delivery (i.e. ‘no-one at home’) are:
- The item was too big to leave / fit through the letterbox / no safe place – 50%
- Signature required – 46%
Do you have a strategy to address failed deliveries? By adopting our methodology we can help reduce failed deliveries.
That’s another area in which we can help. We’ll examine the way that returns are processed (also called reverse logistics), and your communications with your customers as the process is underway. Small changes here can yield dramatic improvements in the way your business operates, and ensure that customers are placated and retained. Since it’s far easier to keep an existing customer than it is to attract a new one, and news of poor service can spread quickly across the internet, this is an element of your online business that should on no account be neglected!
For returns, did you know that:
- 84% of consumers would like a confirmation that their returned parcel has been received
- More than 70% of consumers would like to have a convenient drop-off location and almost 50% preferred to use the Post Office
- There are alternative drop off locations to the 14,000 Post Office locations:
- Hermes 4500+ Parcelshops
- Pass My Parcel 3500 shops
- UPS Access Points 2500+
- DPD Pickup Shops 2500+
- DHL Servicepoint 1200
We can show you how to access each of these at very economical rates
Some fun facts about E-commerce:
- In 2016, 48% of people bought their groceries online in the UK
- In 2016, 34% of all UK sales were from e-commerce.
- By 2018, 18% of all retail sales will be conducted online, and in 2040 it will be 95%.
- The UK’s digital buyer penetrations is the highest in Western Europe at 86%
- According to research compiled by OC&C Strategy Consultants, PayPal and Google, the world’s largest e-commerce markets – the UK included – will double in size by 2018 to £645bn.