The fulfillment process involves nearly every part of your ecommerce business. But if you’re not using the warehouse as a hotbed for post-purchase marketing, you’re missing out on opportunities to build brand loyalty and extend the customer experience!
How?
Every order has a person and a story behind it. Understanding this will help you look at ways in which every order that goes out adds value to your customer’s experience, that little something more that will ensure brand loyalty and future purchases. There are areas of the order fulfillment process you can use to make receiving their package an extremely personal experience. Here are three practical ways in which fulfillment can accomplish this:
Customized Boxes
The quality of your order packaging is critical. Why not take it a step further by customizing your boxes? This will make your brand stand out in the recipient’s mind and also increase your brand visibility through the entire shipping process. Examples include Tiffany’s signature blue box or Apple’s well-constructed product packaging.
Special Packaging
A customized shipping box will carry your brand name, but a product just picked and thrown into a box is anything but charming! Giving special attention to the packaging of your products can go a long way in winning the hearts of your customers. Think of unique ways to pack your orders at the warehouse packing station so that unpacking that order is a fun experience for the customer. Being creative with how you pack your products will help you create a positive brand image in the customer’s mind.
Check this out:
This innovative design most definitely ups the brand value and appeal of these kid’s shoes from Görtz. This packaging was created as a set of five different paper bird sculptures, and each has a shoelace through its beak representing a small, colorful worm. How cool is this?
Accurate and Timely Delivery
Delivering orders on time is a significant part of the fulfillment process, and an awful customer experience can tarnish your brand image. On the other hand, exceeding customer expectations during this phase can be an opportunity to build your brand image. You can handle this in many different ways: offer free shipping, surprise them with faster-than-expected delivery (or upgrade their order to the next speed for free), or give them an option for overnight for those last-minute purchases. Nothing will make customers happier (and more likely to spread positive reviews) than being pleasantly surprised with the fulfillment process!