Here are six tips to help you boost your conversion rate by offering customer-focused shipping in your online shop.

1. Offer multiple carriers

It’s a good idea to offer your customers multiple shipping options. If you work with only one carrier, you run the risk of bottlenecks in your shipping when:

• the shipping carrier experiences technical problems

• labour shortages occur due to illness or strikes

• delivery delays occur during peak periods, such as the holiday season

These bottlenecks lead to unsatisfied customers. In the worst case, customers may decide not to order from your shop again. Use shipping software to simplify your logistics and integrate multiple carriers into your shop.

2. Offer express delivery

Speedy delivery is extremely popular, especially among younger shoppers. Customers are often even willing to pay higher shipping costs to receive their order as quickly as possible. That means it’s worthwhile to offer an express delivery option in addition to standard shipping.

3. Provide shipment tracking

Your customers want to know when their parcel will arrive. That’s why you should offer detailed tracking information: to keep customers informed of their parcel’s status every step of the way. The best option is to send automatic status updates by email. This not only helps your customers, but it lowers the volume of queries your customer service department will receive. With track & trace options, your customers can be sure that their parcels are on the way. That helps them be more patient, even if the delivery takes several days. If you don’t offer tracking information to your customers, they are more likely to become impatient and contact your customer service department to ask about the status of their parcel.

4. Insure your shipments

You know it’s important to protect your products by packaging your shipments securely. However, items can still be damaged on their way to the customer. When that happens, it’s essential to offer customers a satisfactory solution. Otherwise, the customer may decide not to buy from your shop again. 

To protect yourself against damage or loss, consider buying shipping insurance from your carrier. Royal Mail, Hermes and DPD all offer insurance coverage ranging in value from ￡20 to ￡50 as part of their standard shipping service. If you are sending products with a higher value, it’s best to take out additional insurance coverage.

5. Offer simple return shipping

Return shipping is time-consuming and expensive for many online retailers. Yet, it’s important to remember that you can raise your conversion rate simply by offering a hassle-free return process. Customers are more likely to buy products when they know that they can easily return them if necessary. Your return shipping doesn’t necessarily have to be free of charge. You just need to remember:

• … to clearly inform your customer of your return shipping conditions (including any costs) before they complete their order.

• … to enclose a ready-to-use return shipping label with the product.

• … to allow your customers to hand over the return parcel to the carrier of their choice.

6. Offer free shipping above a certain order amount

Free shipping provides a great incentive for customers to place an order. Often, it’s even a bigger incentive than offering a discount code. Not all retailers can afford to offer free shipping (and free return shipping) with every order. Still, if you want to remain competitive, it’s a good idea to at least offer free shipping on orders above a certain amount. This also has a positive effect on your order values because it can entice customers to buy more than they had originally planned. The minimum order price for free shipping depends on the type and price range of your products.