Ankita Singh is GCC e-commerce logistics expert, ClickPost
The end of every year marks a high point in India’s festive calendar. Although the period between January and October witnesses no shortage of highly anticipated celebrations, nothing quite compares to the cavalcade experienced in the last quarter of the year. Starting with the one-two combo of Christmas and the New Year, this period is defined by its holidays.
But even as the public celebrates, the nation’s e-commerce platforms are hard at work, for White Friday sale also marks the busiest period of the year for them. That’s because this period sees a high point for customer expenditure during the year, with many big-ticket purchases – including cars, electronics, and white goods – happening in this time.
In a recent analysis by Admitad, UAE shoppers are estimated at spending roughly $4 billion on online shopping and approximately 30% of that spend is used on overseas retailers. Consumers are becoming smarter at navigating the digital crowds, and understanding that they are able to access a wider collection of goods with global retailers as well as cheaper prices online.
This trend has only accelerated in recent years, with industry giants such as Amazon and Namshi elevating what was an already important celebration into a landmark shopping extravaganza. Much of this has been driven by the introduction of trademarked shopping events characterised by massive sales and unbeatable discounts.
This year, the widespread shift to online shopping in the wake of the pandemic further heightened the buzz around the festive season, with 2020 going down as a record-breaking year for online retailers across the board. As a result, the logistics support networks that enable Christmas – and the seasonal sales that have come to characterise it – have been presented with an unprecedented challenge. Just how do you ensure this massive volume of shipments reaches their intended destinations within a given timeframe?
Thankfully, technology has helped fill this void, guaranteeing that the holiday season is a happy one for all parties involved. The ways in which e- tailers have achieved this include:
A purchase on an online platform represents a battle only half won. For it’s not until the customer receives their package that victory can be claimed. To ensure that’s always the case, it’s imperative that the right delivery partner be selected. This is especially true during sales, when purchase volumes are at their annual peak and customers expect their holiday items to arrive both safely and on time.
The integration of an algorithm-based courier selection service into the logistics system helps meet these expectations. By analysing recent courier performance figures and categorising the capabilities of various courier partners, this system can help choose the most suitable candidate for any given job.
For example, if the system flags recurrent delay in deliveries to a particular pin code by a certain partner, it can automatically reassign all future deliveries to the area to a more reliable operator.
With orders during the holiday season hitting new highs every year, an increase in the delivery times of certain items is almost inevitable. Unfortunately, these delays only serve to heighten the order anxiety already felt by many shoppers, and result in a cascading series of events. Order anxiety leads to purchase regret. Uncertainty manifests as a spike in WISMO calls and RTO decisions. And all of these events end up costing an e-tailer valuable time and money.
An integrated communication system cuts this spiral short. By proactively interfacing with customers and updating them on their order status during the critical post-purchase phase, many of their concerns are automatically allayed. This is best achieved by providing them with a view of the entire shipment journey from start-to-finish via SMS and email alerts, accurate estimated delivery date on shipment dispatches, and proactive notifications on failed deliveries.
E-commerce is a heavily contested sector, where even the thinnest of margins can be the difference between the success and failure of a portal. As such, online retailers must constantly strive to improve and perfect the services they offer. Preemptively identifying areas of concern is an important part of this process.
In this regard, technology is often invaluable, empowering businesses to automate the act of identifying potential delays and stuck shipments. Armed with this knowledge, steps can then be taken to rectify the issue, thereby reducing customer escalations and order cancellations.
Resolving frequently recurring issues is just as important and can be achieved through the introduction of NDR (non-delivery report) management systems. By automating the feedback gathering loop from customers in the event of a failed delivery, companies can massively reduce the RTO percentage rates and increase fulfilment rates. An example of this is asking customers to provide a local landmark if a courier partner fails to locate their address.
Ankita Singh is GCC e-commerce logistics expert, ClickPost
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by Staff Writer
More of this topic
How technology helps the logistics sector during its busiest times
How firms ensure that a massive volume of shipments reaches its intended destinations within a given timeframe
Ankita Singh is GCC e-commerce logistics expert, ClickPost
The end of every year marks a high point in India’s festive calendar. Although the period between January and October witnesses no shortage of highly anticipated celebrations, nothing quite compares to the cavalcade experienced in the last quarter of the year. Starting with the one-two combo of Christmas and the New Year, this period is defined by its holidays.
But even as the public celebrates, the nation’s e-commerce platforms are hard at work, for White Friday sale also marks the busiest period of the year for them. That’s because this period sees a high point for customer expenditure during the year, with many big-ticket purchases – including cars, electronics, and white goods – happening in this time.
In a recent analysis by Admitad, UAE shoppers are estimated at spending roughly $4 billion on online shopping and approximately 30% of that spend is used on overseas retailers. Consumers are becoming smarter at navigating the digital crowds, and understanding that they are able to access a wider collection of goods with global retailers as well as cheaper prices online.
This trend has only accelerated in recent years, with industry giants such as Amazon and Namshi elevating what was an already important celebration into a landmark shopping extravaganza. Much of this has been driven by the introduction of trademarked shopping events characterised by massive sales and unbeatable discounts.
This year, the widespread shift to online shopping in the wake of the pandemic further heightened the buzz around the festive season, with 2020 going down as a record-breaking year for online retailers across the board. As a result, the logistics support networks that enable Christmas – and the seasonal sales that have come to characterise it – have been presented with an unprecedented challenge. Just how do you ensure this massive volume of shipments reaches their intended destinations within a given timeframe?
Thankfully, technology has helped fill this void, guaranteeing that the holiday season is a happy one for all parties involved. The ways in which e- tailers have achieved this include:
A purchase on an online platform represents a battle only half won. For it’s not until the customer receives their package that victory can be claimed. To ensure that’s always the case, it’s imperative that the right delivery partner be selected. This is especially true during sales, when purchase volumes are at their annual peak and customers expect their holiday items to arrive both safely and on time.
The integration of an algorithm-based courier selection service into the logistics system helps meet these expectations. By analysing recent courier performance figures and categorising the capabilities of various courier partners, this system can help choose the most suitable candidate for any given job.
For example, if the system flags recurrent delay in deliveries to a particular pin code by a certain partner, it can automatically reassign all future deliveries to the area to a more reliable operator.
With orders during the holiday season hitting new highs every year, an increase in the delivery times of certain items is almost inevitable. Unfortunately, these delays only serve to heighten the order anxiety already felt by many shoppers, and result in a cascading series of events. Order anxiety leads to purchase regret. Uncertainty manifests as a spike in WISMO calls and RTO decisions. And all of these events end up costing an e-tailer valuable time and money.
An integrated communication system cuts this spiral short. By proactively interfacing with customers and updating them on their order status during the critical post-purchase phase, many of their concerns are automatically allayed. This is best achieved by providing them with a view of the entire shipment journey from start-to-finish via SMS and email alerts, accurate estimated delivery date on shipment dispatches, and proactive notifications on failed deliveries.
E-commerce is a heavily contested sector, where even the thinnest of margins can be the difference between the success and failure of a portal. As such, online retailers must constantly strive to improve and perfect the services they offer. Preemptively identifying areas of concern is an important part of this process.
In this regard, technology is often invaluable, empowering businesses to automate the act of identifying potential delays and stuck shipments. Armed with this knowledge, steps can then be taken to rectify the issue, thereby reducing customer escalations and order cancellations.
Resolving frequently recurring issues is just as important and can be achieved through the introduction of NDR (non-delivery report) management systems. By automating the feedback gathering loop from customers in the event of a failed delivery, companies can massively reduce the RTO percentage rates and increase fulfilment rates. An example of this is asking customers to provide a local landmark if a courier partner fails to locate their address.
Ankita Singh is GCC e-commerce logistics expert, ClickPost
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