The eCommerce industry has been flourishing for the past decade and this is in no small part thanks to the help of technology. Using the latest logistics and shipping technology, most shipping companies can now offer their e-commerce partners shipment tracking facilities.
This basically means that any order placed can be tracked (usually via a unique tracking number) as it moves from the warehouse to in-transit storage hubs to the customer’s hands. E-commerce shipment tracking isn’t just about making order management easier. It’s about giving customers the best delivery experience.
In this article, we’ll provide you with a complete guide on how you can enable your customers to track their own shipments.
But First, What Is Shipment Tracking?
To put it simply, shipment tracking is the process of monitoring the parcels that have been delivered to 3PL carriers to hand over to the end customers.
When the orders are assigned to carriers, they provide a unique tracking number for each shipment. If that tracking ID is entered into the portal, both customers and shippers will be able to track the orders throughout the process.
To streamline the process of delivery tracking, most shipping solutions have integrated a dedicated functionality. Irrespective of the number of shipments you are dealing with, they will give you in-depth shipment visibility on a centralized dashboard.
Why is Shipment Tracking Important to Customers?
Tracking mechanisms can go a long way in helping e-commerce companies monitor individual orders even when juggling 100 orders every day.
But the biggest beneficiaries of shipment tracking (and the main reason why this tech is being constantly updated) are e-commerce customers. Online shoppers are extremely demanding and one of their main demands is to receive real-time tracking updates on all their orders, accessible at any given point of time.
In fact, as per the latest study, around 88% of customers want in-depth shipment tracking information. So, let’s take a look at why this is.
1. Eases Anxiety
The initial reaction to placing an order for most customers is excitement. But as time passes, this is replaced by anxiety and buyer’s remorse.
These two cancellation-inspiring emotions can be quickly dealt with by giving customers a daily reminder that their order is being picked up, packed, and on its way to them.
2. Enhances Trust
Many people in India are still getting accustomed to concepts like online shopping, especially for daily needs and essential items.
Having an accurate shipment tracking system lets even the most skeptical customers know that your business is reliable and trustworthy.
3. Assists customers in planning their schedules
When customers are aware of when they are going to receive the parcels, they can plan their day accordingly to receive the parcel. For example, they can plan their outing 1 hour later than the delivery time or assign someone else to receive the parcel.
If needed, they can even reschedule the delivery date as per their availability. In a nutshell, a granular-level delivery tracking system eases your shoppers’ lives and helps them maintain their daily routines.
4. Helps in managing delivery delays
Once customers place their orders, they eagerly wait for them to get delivered to their doorsteps on time. Now, in case any delivery delays occur along the way, it gets on their nerves and they question the brand’s legitimacy.
Most of the time, the delivery tracking solutions provide in-depth updates along with delivery delays on the customers’ tracking portal. As a result, shoppers get clarity on the process, which improves their shopping experience.
5. Enables Better Services
When each order can be carefully tracked at each stage of delivery, you can get a clearer picture of where flaws exist in your delivery mechanism. This enables you to identify and rectify different issues, enhancing the overall delivery experience of customers.
Step-By-Step Guide to Enable Customers to Track Ecommerce Shipment Orders
There are a multitude of complex procedures that lead up to an ideal shipment tracking system. To start with, you need to have a clear shipping strategy and select shipping partners that enable you to meet your strategic goals. Shipping partners typically provide shipment tracking services to e-commerce businesses.
However, truly streamlined solutions are enabled with the help of shipment tracking software. These software solutions enable multi-carrier integration and use tech to automate complex processes. This software should be able to:
a) Share Tracking Notifications With Customers
As each delivery milestone is crossed by a shipment (eg: picked up, out for delivery, on the way), customers should receive notifications on various channels (email, SMS, and WhatsApp).
b) Make Use of Order Tracking API Integrations
To ensure that customers are receiving shipment tracking updates in real-time, a good shipment tracking software uses both Push and Pull shipping API integrations. These enable a regular and constant flow of data between shipping companies and e-commerce partners.
c) Offer a branded tracking page
The ideal shipment tracking software is one that not only sends notifications to customers but allows them to view shipment statuses from a customizable tracking page.
This tracking page should ideally be visible on the platform where the order was placed and display the brand prominently.
d) Send automated delay notifications to customers
Besides sending milestone-specific notifications, these delivery notifications also send automated delay alerts to customers and update the same on the branded tracking portal. Consequently, they help customers free from anxiety and save the brands’ reputations.
e) Monitor Tracking and Delivery Performance
One of the many benefits of shipment tracking is being able to monitor orders and improve delivery mechanisms. This is best done with the help of shipment tracking software that is equipped to analyze data at greater speeds and with greater accuracy.
Final Conclusion
Order and shipment tracking has become an essential part of the bulk of services provided to eCommerce customers. Customers now consider real-time tracking updates to be a standard service offered by any e-commerce platform or marketplace.
Providing the highest level of shipment tracking services, with the help of order tracking software, can help promote brand loyalty. This is because customers are more likely to keep coming back when they have faith in the accuracy and efficiency of your services.