How a lack of delivery visibility produces frustrated customers

I recently wrote an article about New York Times-bestselling suspense author Jeff Abbott, who experienced major visibility-related delivery issues when he attempted to refurnish his home after a fire.

“We ordered a large dining room table from a national furniture brand, but the wrong table arrived,” he says. “They couldn’t tell us if our table was sitting in a warehouse or delivered to another customer. They didn’t know. There was no data, no action, no resolution.”

Brands need actionable visibility. Not only does the brand need to be able to see and access delivery data, they also need to be empowered to resolve service issues before they become customer-facing nightmares, like what Abbott experienced.

To better understand consumers’ expectations, we recently conducted a consumer study. We found:

• 93% want to stay informed throughout the delivery process—from in-transit status to final arrival date.
• 47% will not order again from a brand with poor delivery visibility.
• 44% said brands are not creating positive delivery experiences, while 98% said delivery is a key part of their brand loyalty.

The message is clear: Brands need better insights to see all shipments, across all carriers, in real time. That will enable them to identify risks before they impact customer satisfaction and retention.

Read the three strategies to getting actionable visibility here.
This article was originally published on April 5, 2019 on Internet Retailer.