Online retailers: Delivery Optimisation

3P Logistics centres upon a simple belief that “every business irrespective of its profile should have access to a quality and affordable supply chain service provider”. Since initial go-live in 2006 we are now firmly established itself as one of the UK`s leading providers of  ecommerce and order fulfilment services to online retailers trading via the various channels. 

Online delivery scandal - how to improve it?

Picture adopted from The Independent

Everyone knows Christmas is usually the most chaotic season for online delivery. However, this should not be an excuse to the deteriorating service level as seen this Christmas.  According to The Independent, ‘hundreds of thousands of people were left frustrated by disastrous service’. During December, at least 225,000 parcels failed to arrive on time EVERY DAY.

‘Did your Christmas gift orders arrive when retailers said they would?’ [E-consultancy, 2012]

E-retailers should be alerted, since this can create a significant impact on your company’s image. The E-consultancy survey stated that 59% of consumers would not shop with a retailer again if they failed to deliver on time. So this leaves us the question – how should we manage our delivery service?

Clarity and Accuracy

Obviously, this is the key to perfect delivery. If you cannot do it right, consider outsourcing quality fulfilment services such as 3P Logistics, which boosts its 99.6% success delivery rate. Room for improvement? Integrate online tracking system so consumers know what is happening. Some companies even offer SMS notifications to consumers for a more tailored approach.

Great Communication

Of course there will always be a chance of having delivery problems. The key is to communicate with consumers efficiently. This can be achieved by a dedicated customer service team. If you do not have the time, consider outsourcing to 3PL.

Support from retailers

Do understand that consumers will blame you when delivery problems happen even if it is the couriers’ fault. Be-proactive when following up the problems – contact your customers before they contact you, and of course, before they make a complaint.

Make things easier

Other than the obvious get the accurate address, consider giving consumers an option to select a place for courier to leave the parcel.

Delivery options by Naked Wines, picture adopted from E-consultancy

At the end of the day, it is all about making sure that your delivery information is 100% achievable and accurate. Also make sure that after sale service is available at a high standard to complete the shopping experience. If error happens, be proactive and inform your customer as soon as possible.

  

The fall of giant? The Google monopoly

Google - the search engine monopoly has always been influencing various industries (and even give birth to the SEO industry) by controlling each and every webpages’ rankings and positions.

However, even giant can fall. Yes, it is all over the news that Google is currently facing the threat of 'regulatory sanctions’ in EU. According to ITProPortal, Google will be forced to change the way its search results are presented soon, since it is suspected that Google has been using its power to divert traffic to its own services such as Analytics, Advisor, Local, etc. In another word, it has been providing users’ choice via their own Google products, instead of natural SERPs. This forces competitions out of the market by eliminating their competitiveness in terms of organic search rankings. This behaviour should definitely not be encouraged.

In fact, this is not the first time that Google has been charged by the EU. Just three months ago Google was accused of gathering user’s personal information in an inappropriate way. As a daily user of Google yourself, what are your thoughts on it? Are all those efforts of SEO worth it? Are we too reliant on the giant? 

The Busiest Day for Online Retailer

As you may have already known, Christmas is the busiest season for retailers. Everyone is buying gifts for each other and celebrating these special days with their families and loved ones. This means people are spending – and online retailers are certainly benefiting from this festive atmosphere as well. Statistics from Experian Hitwise show that, this Boxing Day has been the busiest day ever in the e-commerce history. Consumers were making 107million visits to retail website on Christmas Day. Compared to last year, an increase of 71% could be seen. The winner was... unsurprisingly, Amazon, which topped over eBay to become the most visited site on Christmas Day, accounting 12% of all online visits.

However, retail therapy for the UK population did not stop after Christmas Day. Instead, there were a whopping 113million visits to retail website on Boxing Day. This can be due to the early kick off of January sales and discount. Indeed, Experian Hitwise has confirmed this by stating that on Boxing Day, 1 in every 125 searches conducted in the UK included the word ‘sale’ or ‘sales’.

As a e-retailer, make sure you are well prepared for next Christmas to have a share of the cake. For professional advice on e-commerce strategies, 3P Logistics can certainly guide you with their expertise and experience built over the years. 

3PL has new intriguing videos

3P Logistics are happy to announce we have two new videos to share to the public. Please take the time to follow the links below and feel free to spread the word:

Alternatively watch the video here - http://youtu.be/vEK8ZupjaHQ

Brand Awareness “without” the hefty price tag

In meeting increased demand, 3P Logistics now offer the facility to create branded store fronts at a mere fraction of the price normally associated with high end design agencies. Whether you require a basic ebay or Amazon store front or a more bespoke brand conscious outlet we have it covered. If you already have a store, why not consider a makeover or even create an extra store to increase brand awareness and gain greater market share?  

Are you any of the following?

·         A single site retailer seeking increased sales through the creation of extra sales channels.

·         A business wishing to outsource the set-up of a store and ongoing administration.

·         A business already trading on ebay & Amazon and looking to increase brand awareness. 

If your answer is yes to any of the above then talk to us.

Liam Humphreys – Marketing Support, added; 

“A fully branded Ebay or Amazon store front can be provided from as little as £300 and can be up and  running in no time. The modest level of investment against the size of opportunity makes this a compelling proposition for our clients.”

3PL removes the barriers to multi-channel retailing

Following significant development and rigorous trials we are delighted to announce the launch of our multi-channel interface: Multi Macs

Contrary to the popular belief that multi-channel retailing is too expensive 3PL have engineered a more affordable alternative compared to mainstream products such as e Seller Pro & Channel Advisor. Fees in the region of £695 per monthly subscription and 1.95% commission on final sale value are the main reasons many online retailers run for cover and instead persevere with single site selling. The market places of Amazon, Ebay. Asos etc and beyond are vast and are too good an opportunity to simply ignore. Our low cost entry to multi-channel retailing has now removed that financial barrier and provides our clients with a real competitive edge whist improving their margins.
With no commission on final sale and a modest weekly subscription there has never been a better time to broaden your market place.

Our order management software and stock control system integrates the entire multi-channel sales process, and handles everything from order fulfilment to shipping, stock control and inventory management. It also integrates with eBay, Amazon, Play.com, Pixmania, Magento and all major website carts. The system enables the client to control all their sales channels from one place – with flexible and powerful tools that allows the freedom to grow sales, reduce costs, eliminate manual tasks and concentrate on building their business. It means that stock levels can be updated across many channels automatically. Inventory management, stock controls and order fulfilment processes are automated - including invoices, shipping management, and customer communications.

Ian Walker, Managing Director commented:
"Our multi-channel proposition will quite rightly raise a few eyebrows within the industry. It is feature-rich, simple to use and affordable – it’s a product that’s proven to work, with no costs per transaction. Existing clients using the system have reported substantial increases in sales, and as we make money through order fulfilment it is a win/win situation for both parties”. In plain speak - our products and services help our client to grow through increased sales."

Testimonials
“We have been selling designers clothes and accessories online since 2004 and as our business is growing at a rapid rate we felt it necessary to invest in a stock controlling program.  We have been using Mult0-Channel by 3PL for two months now and it is truly fantastic.  No longer are we overselling and we can now grow even further by selling on multiple platforms. Coupled with the fantastic professional staff at 3P Logistics this piece of software is a no-brainer”

"Our business has grown rapidly in the last two years, and we were looking for a logistics solution that would enable us to grow further, while maintaining our fast, efficient and reliable service.  3P Logistics' Mult-channel has allowed us to focus on continued growth of our business across multiple sales channels whilst improving on the service offered to our customers.  Working with 3P Logistics Multi-channel has been a great business decision for us."