Order and shipping accuracy is one of the most important KPIs for e-commerce business owners. Shipping accuracy has a direct impact on the customer experience. Getting order fulfillment right results in high customer satisfaction, helping retailers grow sustainably as a result.
While it’s impossible to get every order correct, most successful e-commerce retailers have order accuracy rates between 96%-98%. If you discover that your e-commerce business is falling below that rate, you could be at a competitive disadvantage.
Fortunately, there are easy ways to increase your shipping accuracy. In this guide, we’ll break down some tools that can improve your customer experience and offer a high return on investment.
Read on to learn more about some of the most common shipping mistakes—and what you can do to prevent them.
Most Common Shipping Mistakes
There are tons of ways that shipping can go wrong. Shipping errors can result from mistakes made throughout the supply chain, from the manufacturer to the shipping logistics partner (like DHL or FedEx). However, some shipping mistakes are more frequent than others. Customers often file complaints about these most common shipping mistakes:
- The customer is sent the wrong item. Due to a warehouse mistake or similarities between two products that the retailer offers, customers are often sent something they didn’t order.
- The customer is sent the wrong quantity. This error is most likely to happen during a promo that includes bundling or if a customer bulk orders something.
- The items didn’t arrive on time. While this can often be out of the retailer’s control, customers expect their items to arrive by the quoted date and will hold the merchant responsible for delays.
- The items were sent to the wrong address. This error can occur when the merchant doesn’t verify someone’s address or during a mistake in entering the billing vs. shipping address.
Worst case scenario? Your e-commerce store is guilty of two (or more) of these errors in one shipment. Customers place high importance on accuracy in shipping and order delivery.
The Importance of Accuracy In Shipping & Delivery
Today’s customers expect their items to arrive fast, accurately, and in one piece. However, nearly 60% of customers say that retailers are “mediocre at best” when it comes to the delivery experience. Many customers are frustrated by merchants that appear to fall down at the last hurdle: delivering a product as expected and when promised.
There are, fortunately, products that can help improve accuracy in e-commerce shipping and delivery. And, ultimately, investing in a better shipping solution makes financial sense.
- Reduce costs: the ROI of a tool like Address Validator is clear. Not only can businesses save the immediate fees of $17 – $18 per package that shipping partners UPS and FedEx charge for correcting a wrong address, but they can also save $5-6 per “Where is my order?” inquiry.
- Avoid re-shipping: likewise, businesses can avoid the time and effort (and costs) of reshipping the correct order to the correct address. Employees can spend time on high-value tasks, instead of unpacking, repacking, addressing, and re-shipping a second order to the original customer.
- Avoid complaints: the importance of customer retention can’t be overstated, and shipping problems are a fast way to damage customer loyalty. Avoid these types of complaints that can impact your brand reputation by implementing an accurate shipping solution.
Not only can a tool like Address Validator help prevent shipping inaccuracies, but it can also help you to build long-term customer loyalty and create brand equity. Avoid the most common shipping mistakes while giving your brand a competitive advantage.
Prevent Shipping Errors With Address Validator
An address validation app automatically checks a customer’s shipping address and provides the address that best matches their input during the checkout process. These apps streamline your shipping process while preventing delivery to an invalid address and all the problems that can arise from entering the wrong address — from extra work or shipping costs to a rising number of unhappy clients.
[Read more: What You Gain Using the Best Shopify Address Validation App]
How do these apps prevent shipping errors? Let’s dive deeper into one of the best shipping validator apps to see how it works and ways in which it can help reduce your shipping error rate.
Address Validator Demo
Curious how address validator apps work? Check out the demo from Address Validator by RoboTurk. Simply select your country, add an address, and click “Validate Now”.
The tool will then prompt you to check if the address you entered is the same as the one found on file.
Customers can then select the suggested address, use the original address, or add a new address. This process allows the customer to check if their information is correct and whether the area for the item to be shipped is valid. Try it for yourself!
Original Address vs Suggested Address
When Address Validator prompts the customer to verify their address, it uses a suggested address pulled from a database. Address Validator works to fix invalid shipping addresses both domestically and in 20+ other countries, so even international customers can make sure their information is error-free. International shipping is often more expensive, so adding this feature during the checkout process can boost customer confidence and increase satisfaction.
Blocks Undeliverable Addresses
Address Validator can be set up to prevent customers from using PO boxes, DHL pack stations, parcel lockers, or malformed addresses. Some brands may find that these types of shipping options most often result in shipping errors. Preventing the customer from trying to ship to an invalid or undeliverable address from the get-go saves everyone time and frustration.
Fully Customizable
The Address Validator app is fully customizable to match your e-commerce business branding, offering your site full control over the colors, messaging, and functionality. It’s mobile-friendly and requires no coding to get started.
What does this mean for your e-commerce store? Fewer shipping inaccuracies virtually immediately.
6 Ways To Avoid Shipping Errors
Many of the most common shipping errors are avoidable—with the right plan. There’s no way to error-proof every part of your shipping operations, but you can mitigate issues before they arise to improve delivery and shipping accuracy.
Address Validator is just the first step in improving your shipping process. From implementing a warehouse management system to automating shipment tracking and using third-party logistics providers, here are six ways to avoid late deliveries and improve order fulfillment.
Use a Warehouse Management System
A warehouse management system (WMS) is a software tool that provides visibility into your inventory and helps manage fulfillment from the distribution center to your e-commerce customer. The right WMS makes the practice of warehouse management more efficient and streamlined.
“It’s extremely important not only because it tracks all of the materials in your warehouse, but it can also create systems to streamline how workers pick products and pack orders,” wrote Forbes. “It provides you with the ability to track merchandise entering the warehouse, being packed onto shelves and into various places, and when it leaves the warehouse for order fulfillment.”
There are dozens of types of WMS solutions which include technology like RFID tagging, robotics, cloud computing and on-demand warehousing. Adding a warehouse management system specifically helps with quality control, reducing the risk of someone being sent the wrong item or the wrong quantity.
Double Check Items
Of course, a warehousing solution won’t solve all of your delivery problems. Employ a dedicated team to double-check all items before they are sent on their way. Ask this team to review and check items against a bill of lading before the shipment is cleared to go.
Likewise, while Address Validator will handle checking online orders for accuracy, there may be orders sent to your e-commerce operation via email or taken over the phone. Ask whoever is recording these orders on your team to use Address Validator to make sure the information is accurate.
Automate Shipment Tracking
An automated shipment tracking tool sends real-time notifications each time a shipment hits a milestone — allowing companies to track order processing, the picking of items, their status for shipment, and whether the package is delivered by the shipping company. You can also choose to share some shipment tracking details with the customer so they know their delivery is on time.
Use a Barcode Scanner
A barcode scanner increases your picking accuracy. Your warehouse team simply scans the barcode to verify they are picking the right product in the right quantities. Some scanning tools even offer automated inventory updates in real-time when a product is picked, thus helping with inventory management.
Partner with Third-Party Logistics
Shippers, third-party logistics companies, and delivery services like TaskRabbit are integral to reducing your late delivery rate. Third-party logistics partners (3PL) will also act as one-stop order fulfillment partners for e-commerce businesses, handling anything from packaging and warehousing to transportation and delivery. Working with a third-party logistics company can:
- Improve cost savings
- Offer flexibility and scalability
- Enable market expansion
- Improve customer satisfaction
- Improve expertise in shipping
Vet partners carefully to make sure you’re finding the best possible delivery service or 3PL vendor to fulfill your expectations.
Implement a Returns Process
Finally, make sure your returns process is clear to the customer before completing the shipping process. Your e-commerce business can greatly increase customer satisfaction by streamlining the procedure for the return and replacement of items (if necessary).
“A good returns process will account for stock levels, human resources and have a buffer to account for things like associated packaging. The aim is to get products back into stock, or at least accounted for, and the right product shipped as soon as possible,” wrote one shipping and logistics partner.
Improving Shipping With Address Validator
E-commerce business owners who don’t take measures to improve shipping will find themselves with high customer turnover. Rather than lose your competitive edge, implement easy tools like Address Validator to start reducing shipping errors. It’s a quick way to start seeing better shipping accuracy as you work on other changes — like using a warehouse management system or updating your returns process.
Learn more about Address Validator and try a demo to see how it can boost your business results.
