Delivering A Lasting Impression: How The Delivery Experience Influences Consumer's Brand Perspective

By Rob Taylor, CEO of Convey

Current industry conversations emphasize on retailers’ search for the next competitive edge. Buzzwords ranging from omnichannel to unified commerce to an enhanced in-store experience are presently sending retailers scrambling in all directions to find the perfect solution for consumers’ needs. It’s no secret retailers are in search of the “secret sauce” that will differentiate them among their competitors and leave a positive sentiment in their minds – all while maintaining their bottom line.

In the past the main focus of retailers has been to minimize costs, while preserving quality and efficiency. But the tides have shifted, leaving consumers to call the shots more than ever before, and in this setting, consumers are creating a mandate for all retailers to deliver a memorable customer experience.

Though retailers are doing everything in their power to differentiate, from offering interactive in-store experiences, such as Urban Outfitters’ new pizza parlor implementation within their stores, or creating an omnichannel customer rewards program, retailers might be ignoring a key puzzle piece of the customer experience; the delivery. This is especially important in a world that is dominated by eCommerce purchases.

In fact, in our recent consumer survey titled The Cost of Poor Delivery: Four Steps To Go from ‘Cost Center’ To ‘Competitive Advantage,’ out of 500 consumers surveyed, 70 percent say they are unlikely to return to a retailer if they have a negative delivery experience.

With the correlation of positive experience and brand perception, purchasing and post-purchasing experiences are vital to retailers. There is a four-step process retailers can follow to create a seamless delivery experience that leaves a positive brand impression with the consumer.

Step One: Improving customer delivery experience: Reduce the effort

In today’s digital world, consumers expect fast, easy and efficient in every transaction with a retailer. To reduce friction in the delivery process, retailers need to focus their efforts on making the entire journey flow seamlessly and easy for the consumer. This requires implementing an advanced technology solution that helps retailers gain insight into key fulfillment and delivery features including advanced tracking, communication history, shipment scheduling capabilities and personalized big data insights based on both qualitative and quantitative data about customers, orders and carrier performance.

Step Two: Make it personal

A recent Retail System Research report titled Personalization Center Stage, states “As more of the shopping experience occurs online, retailers have the opportunity both to learn more about shopper behavior through data collection of activities happening in digital channels, and to be able to influence that behavior in more real-time and more granular ways.” Personalization is a feature consumers desire throughout their shopping experience. In fact, based on our survey 43 percent of consumers say delivery experience should be personalized based on order history. In addition to making the deliver experience personal, consumers also expect more if they’re loyal. Over 39 percent of consumers expect a better experience, which includes shipping updates via SMS or email, if they’re a part of a loyalty program, 38.6 percent expect better experience if they’ve shopped with the retailer before and an outstanding 42.1 percent expect a better experience when paying for shipping. To achieve a positive brand perspective from consumers, retailers should focus on making the brand experience personal.

Step Three: Be Proactive

A retailer can do everything in their power to make a satisfying and personal customer experience, but that all can be diminished if issues are dealt with poorly when it comes to delivery. Consumers expect retailers to be proactive when delivering items, especially since these are items they have already purchased. For example, if an issue arises with delivery, 62 percent of consumers want to be notified within a day. This is important because 75.2 percent of consumers say they like a brand if there is proactive communication from them.

Proactivity is especially crucial in large item deliveries. In fact, 54 percent of consumers say delivery concerns heavily impact their decisions to buy large items, especially when it comes to specific dates and times of deliveries. Large items are costly for both the consumer and retailer alike, so it’s important to create a positive delivery experience. Retailers can do this by proving branding tracking, proactive communication with shoppers about shipment status and ensuring carriers that enter homes adequately represent the brand.

Step Four: Optimize & Adapt

According to a recent HRC Advisory study, 80 percent of retailers feel unprepared for supply chain challenges happening to meet consumer demands, especially when it comes to delivery. It’s important for retailers to adapt to these inconsistencies by utilizing timely data about performance to ensure they are providing their consumers with the best experiences possible.

Using the consumer delivery experience competitively is a must for retailers. The use of data to drive fulfillment decisions for both efficiency optimization and customer delight impacts both the experience and brand perception immensely. At the end of the day, the delivery process signals the end of a transaction between a retailer and a consumer. By adapting these four principles, retailers should be able to leave a positive impression on their consumer for the next go-around.