We’re all selective about which emails we open from businesses. Marketers spend a lot of time and resources figuring out ways to retain customers and keep them within their ecosystem. Catchy subject lines and newsletter announcements can help, but the most effective header is “Your Order Has Shipped!”
According to ShipStation, shipping confirmation and tracking emails are read an average of 3 times, so that gives you 3 additional points of contact after a purchase is made. That means a shipping confirmation email is not a farewell, but another opportunity to engage with your customers. A good post-purchase experience can create more sales, so check out how you can capitalize on it below.
Increase Sales with Shipping Confirmation Emails
Shipping confirmation emails don’t need to be too long. Ultimately, people are looking for the tracking link. So if you want to add any additional information, make sure that works with the page and isn’t buried in the email.
Branded Tracking Page
There are more options than just the carrier or, if applicable, the marketplace’s tracking pages. Some platforms offer you the option to customize a tracking page template that reflects your brand’s design and messaging. For instance, ShipStation’s
branded tracking page allows you the option to brand the tracking page with links to your website and social media accounts. Furthermore,
instead of just a list of tracking events, it geotags a map to show real-time tracking. Features like this elevate your brand and create a sense of confidence in your customers.
Don’t Send the Shipping Confirmation Email Too Early
The quicker you ship packages out, the better your processes look to your customers. So much of this process is done out of sight. Customers don’t see your process, only the results. And the quicker you ship a package out, the more established your
brand looks in the customer’s mind. Even if your ecommerce business is just one or two people, if you can ship out an item within 24 hours, your customers may think you’re a highly organized warehouse bustling with employees. Customers
love clicking that email and seeing that a package has shipped. However, if the email shows a package in pre-shipment status for several days, it can lower confidence. Some platforms send out shipping emails once a label is generated. Others allow
you to customize when you send the email—based on things like when a carrier scans a package in or estimated times that you drop packages off.
Ship Quickly
This one is obvious, but the quicker you ship a package out, the quicker a customer receives their shipping confirmation email and the quicker they receive their package. ShipStation surveyed ecommerce customers and found that 8 days was how long customers are willing to wait for a package in 2020 - this was up from 5 days in 2019. The same study found that 87% of customers didn’t expect shipping times to return to pre-covid timeframes. As supply chains stabilize and carriers adapt to demand and COVID is more behind us than all-consuming,
staying ahead of this 8-day window can further build consumer confidence. Considering most domestic services take 2-5 days to reach customers, if you can receive an order, pack it, and ship it within 24-48 hours, you will see greater customer satisfaction,
reviews, and even a growing customer base.
Automate Your Shipping
Automating shipping doesn’t mean you buy futuristic picking robots. It simply means that you don’t have to manually configure every order. Once you get a handle on shipping costs, options, and which works best for each package type you offer,
there’s no need to go through and rateshop. Platforms like ShipStation allow you to configure presets and automation rules to orders as soon as they import from your selling channels. Other services like ShippingEasy also offer this. Many even
offer batch shipping—where you select multiple orders and create all their shipping labels with a single click. Over time, this all becomes second nature. Whether an order needs to be shipped from your warehouse or is fulfilled by a third party
logistics company, you can control all of this and have all your labels printed before the boxes are even packed.
Conclusion
A good post-purchase experience elevates your brand and increases customer confidence and loyalty. If you can offer affordable, quick shipping, customers are more likely to return and bring more customers with them.
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