Voice of Commonwealth

Rethinking a shipping strategy needn’t mean reinventing the whole wheel.

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By Wasana Nadeeshani Sellahewa

(Commonwealth) _ It’s not necessary to start from scratch when rethinking a delivery plan. But because of how unstable and unpredictable the environment still is, companies will need to embrace flexibility and agility. Customers’ concerns about how their purchase habits affect the environment are growing. People are curious about how big their carbon impact is and how they may lessen it. Brands that put a high priority on reducing their emissions and that are open with their customers about their sustainable principles will attract customers who share those values.

35% of brands who were asked about their intentions for implementing sustainability measures in 2022 stated they would give measuring or tracking emissions top priority. Another 23% stated that they will concentrate on emissions offsets.

Last-mile delivery are one of the first places businesses can aim to lessen impact. You might electrify your delivery fleet like IKEA, Walmart, and UPS to lessen your carbon impact. A 2020 research by the MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab found that this system can reduce emissions from e-commerce deliveries by 27% right now and by much more once the energy grid becomes decarbonized. With a 200-mile range, more recent electric cars can handle 90% of all last-mile deliveries. Bicycles and scooters can both be utilized.

Retailers without a delivery fleet can minimize their environmental impact by decentralizing inventory centers, employing parcel lockers, or collaborating with a third-party logistics provider (3PL). The way that merchants effectively transport and deliver items to customers has changed as a result of port delays, labor shortages, inflation, and international wars. Emerging shipping trends including load balancing, outsourcing fulfillment to a 3PL, and computerized supply chains have already begun to gain traction and enter the mainstream of retail as of 2022. Retailers who wish to streamline their processes can take advantage of the shipping trends that are relevant to their industry.

If you’ve had trouble streamlining your shipping operations in 2022, you’ll get another opportunity in 2023. Over 2023, shipping issues are probably going to get better, but your brand should be ready for anything. The important shipping trends discussed in this article will help you develop your 2023 strategy.

Customers need transparency regarding package delivery dates. Brands put customer relationships at risk and raise the likelihood that customers may buy elsewhere when they fail to deliver on time or establish unreasonable expectations. Although consumers demand free and quick delivery, this shouldn’t be sacrificed in favor of complete disclosure on reasonable delivery timeframes.

If it will take your company ten days to ship a certain item, let your clients know at the checkout, not when the item is supposed to arrive. If companies can’t deliver on their promises, customers’ faith in them can soon decline. Additionally, clients are getting more particular about timely deliveries. A 2020 poll indicated that 69.7% of customers would be less likely to buy with a company if they were unaware of a shipping delay.

Sales are lost due to unclear shipping policies. 32% of the clients we surveyed abandoned their carts in the previous year alone due to “the anticipated shipment time being too long,” and 22% due to “there being no definite delivery date.”

In 2023, creating long-term customer connections strong enough to endure the industry’s present problems will depend on fostering trust and openness through delivery-related interactions. Brands must exercise caution when selecting a partner for their supply chain distribution. While some firms could opt to outsource distribution to third-party enterprises, others might prefer to sell items directly to customers. Businesses must examine how to more effectively disperse their supply chains and improve their operations, according to Scott Gravelle of Attabotics.

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