E-commerce is forever changed by the pandemic.
At the height of the pandemic, 10 years of e-commerce growth occurred in just 90 days simply because there was no alternative. New shoppers came online (and stayed online) and 55% of consumers are shopping online more often as a result of COVID.
Retailers were caught off guard by the huge increases in traffic — their supply chains weren’t prepared for global shutdowns and new safety and hygiene measures slowed operations down as more and more orders came in. But consumers were understanding. Rather than demanding fast & free shipping, they were willing to wait longer for their delivery and were open to paying for faster shipping.
In 2021, we’re facing a new normal when it comes to customer expectations and transparency for delivery.
Recent data from Australia Post shows online shopping is off to a strong start in 2021. Online sales grew 44% year-on-year in January. Household online participation also remained high in January, with over 5.2 million households making an online purchase.
The continued growth suggests we are unlikely to see a significant drop in e-commerce sales, which means competition is accelerating. Brands will need to adapt and focus on customer experience in order to exceed customer expectations, to drive retention and loyalty over the long term.
Savvy sellers are readjusting their strategies to decide where to double down and what tools are needed to succeed in this new norm. In particular, marketplaces and shipping are two areas that offer the opportunity to grow sales and increase retention. According to research from ShipStation, 88% of consumers say that their shipping experience determines whether or not they’ll shop with that retailer again in the future.
ShipStation has identified five areas multichannel retailers can make delivery a competitive differentiator:
- Offer strategic delivery options
- Over-communicate with your customers
- Focus on loyalty
- Promote your brand presence
- Make returns easy
Find out how each of these areas can help retailers grow their business in 2021 during a webinar hosted by David Boyer, ShipStation ANZ Country Manager, and Simon Kelly, Solutions and Partnerships Manager at ChannelAdvisor on 20 April 2021 – Save Your Seat!
Webinar on 20/04 at 2pm AEST: 5 Ways to Make Delivery Memorable
David Boyer, ShipStation ANZ Country Manager, and Simon Kelly, Solutions and Partnerships Manager at ChannelAdvisor will share insights and lessons from an unprecedented 2020 and five areas of focus for 2021.
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