Order Shipping: our Afrikrea Starting Guide

There it is! You’ve got a new order. After the initial thrill, comes a reality check and hard work ! Your designs may be beautiful, but it is the quality of your shipping service that will determine your customer’s shopping experience. Follow these 3 fundamental steps to have an excellent shipping service and build customer loyalty.

Estimate your shipping fees properly

According to an IFOP-Generix survey (France), high shipping fees is the main barrier to purchase for 55% of buyers.

To discourage customers from shopping elsewhere, offer reasonable and competitive shipping fees. Determining accurate shipping costs is crucial. Here are some tips to calculate them.

Once again, 1 / 2 consumers abandon their purchase due to high shipping fees. Offering free or reasonable shipping fees is therefore a significant opportunity to increase potential sales.

The first step, is to know your product’s weight and size. A price list is available at your local post office. You can also reach out to your private carrier for price information.

Find your shipping costs by country, and set your prices.

Afrikrea recommends you have shipping fees lower than 20% of the product’s total price. We also suggest you invest in a small scale to weigh your packages at home. If you do not have one, you can still weigh your packages at the post office. You can also buy prepaid packaging. This will save you money.

Customer relationship management

We cannot say it enough, buyers like to be updated throughout the delivery process.

Good communication promotes trust between the customer and the seller .

At Afrikrea, a seller’s average order processing time for custom-made items is 21 days. However, customers are willing to wait as long as you keep them informed.

Transparency is key. Please be realistic when announcing your processing time to customers. Do not claim a 3-day delivery service if the order preparation takes you 10 days. Likewise, if processing time was to exceed 15 days, give a weekly update to your customer so that she does not get worried. Any changes in the expected delivery date should be reported to the customer. Feel free to send her a notification as soon as one of the 4 steps of the sales process is completed.

The customer will be grateful and will likely reward you with a positive rating.

Common Replies can also prove being useful, use them to save time.

When it comes to exchange and refund policies, please take into account the customer’s right of withdrawal (European Directive on trade). This will allow you to write legal and exhaustive terms and conditions. There will be no room for interpretation and unpleasant surprises. Customers will know what to expect.

Your general terms and conditions should be mentioned under each product description sheet. Do not hesitate to remind them to the customer in your pre-purchase conversations.

Pack your order properly

To build customer loyalty, designers have to make a lasting impression.

A nice packaging can make all the difference! These tips should help you pack your orders properly.

When shipping fragile items, use newspapers, cushioning materials or padded packaging to prevent them from breaking. If you are sending works of art or decoration items, protect them with bubble wrap.

Choose tissue paper over plastic to pack clothes, jewelry or accessories.

Put them in a box customized with your brand logo. The opening of the package should be an unforgettable moment for the customer. Therefore, it should be an unmatched experience in the manner of luxury fashion houses. Always slip a personalized thank you card in the package sent. This charming attention will make the buyer feel unique and special. Finally, surprise her with an unexpected gift. It can be something as unexpected as a coupon, a bracelet or one of your shop’s tote bag.

As you will have understood, a successful shopping experience lies in your ability to encourage the customer’s purchase decision, reassure her and conquer her through an excellent shipping service. This involves attractive shipping fees, transparent customer service and well-thought packaging. Following these steps will make you a reliable and considerate seller in the eyes of the customer and, as you know, a satisfied customer will always be your best advertisement !

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