Amazon did THIS to become the King of E-commerce. You can do it too.
All you need is to help your customers with – “Track my order.”
Amazon became the first-ever ecommerce store back in 2007 to provide real-time order tracking. Today, Amazon is the most visited retail website in the world.
And the credit goes to Customer Experience and real-time order tracking.
The Role of Real-Time Order Tracking in Enhancing Customer Experience
For D2C e-commerce sellers, building a positive customer experience is rooted in a smooth delivery process. Because 68% of customers state that the ability to track orders enhances customer experience.
Think of it as the convenience and relief you feel when you know your ride is just 10 minutes away. Real-time tracking offers a similar sense of control and relief to the customer’s mind when they know how long the waiting period is.
More so, real-time tracking helps you gain insights into the logistics and supply chain happenings to ensure you offer on-time delivery.
Here’s how real-time, digital delivery tracking helps your online business –
Increasing transparency: Customers can see the exact location and status of their order, reducing uncertainty and anxiety.
Building Trust: They place trust in your brand by buying from you; it’s your chance to maintain the trust. Visibility into the delivery process builds trust between the customer and the business.
In a recent survey, brand trust was voted as the #1 factor that pushed buyers while shopping for new products/services.
Also Read: Importance of Delivery Tracking System
Improving Communication: Prompt notifications about delays or changes keep your customers informed and reduce frustration.
Empowering Customers: If customers can check live delivery tracking on their own, it lowers the burden on your customer service department.
Enhancing Convenience: Customers can plan their day around expected delivery times, making their life convenient. Plus, they can always opt for delivery with a neighbour or security guard, etc. This precaution ensures their package is safe from damage or theft; otherwise, it can create problems for you.
Key Features of a Robust Order Tracking System
A robust order-tracking application helps online retailers like you build efficient processes and provide a smooth experience to their end customers. The key features to look out for as as follows –
- Real-time tracking – Every movement of the order from dispatch to delivery is accurately tracked using a track order ID system, offering complete transparency. Real-time tracking also predicts estimated delivery time and helps resolve any unexpected delays during delivery. Ensure speedy delivery.
- Optimized Delivery Routes – Order-tracking system offers greater visibility during the entire transit. Resolve issues with the delivery fleet or unexpected weather changes to find the best possible delivery route. Save time and costs.
- Smart Inventory Management – Improved order tracking begins with smart inventory management. You should be able to take account of available stock across all online stores and prevent stockouts for efficient inventory management.
- Single Dashboard – A robust solution that can integrate multiple stores across marketplaces and courier companies to give you a uniform view of all orders. It shouldn’t matter if different carriers deliver these orders by road or air. Stay updated at all times.
- Scalable solution – The order tracking system must be able to scale with your operations as you grow your online store. For example, going international or integrating another storefront should be easy with the right order-tracking system.
- White-Labeled Tracking Page – An order-tracking system must help you remove their branding and use your own logo and company name to address your customers directly. Provide a uniform brand experience to your customers.
Also Read: E-Commerce Order Tracking
How Real-Time Tracking Benefits E-Commerce Businesses
Let’s take a real-life example of an online retailer like you, Aurel Biolife.
Their main challenge was a scattered logistics system. They struggled particularly with a lack of visibility in order-tracking. As a result, this often led to late parcel deliveries and expensive shipping rates.
They deployed the best logistics solution for their order tracking and logistics management. The results spoke for themselves –
- On-time deliveries jumped by 80%
- Shipping costs reduced by 30%
- RTO was cut down by 15%
Their customer satisfaction rate also increased significantly.
The question is – How did real-time tracking help Aurel Biolife?
- Supply Chain Transparency
With better visibility into the supply chain, the business could now spot inefficiencies, improve delivery routes, and speed up delivery.
- Better Operations
Order tracking data helped the online store improve its processes, like managing stocks, fixing delays, and making order processing faster and smoother.
- Actionable Insights
The tracking system reports customer habits and delivery trends. This information helped Aurel Biolife to make smarter decisions and improve their overall strategy.
- Fewer Customer Inquiries
When customers can track their orders, they’re less likely to reach out with WISMO queries. This freed up their support team to handle more complex issues and provide excellent customer service.
- Staying Competitive
Offering a great tracking system set them apart from competitors, boosting their growth.
- Stronger Brand Reputation
A dependable and easy-to-use tracking system built trust with their customers. The customers saw their business as reliable and customer-centric.
- Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty
Order tracking helped keep customers happy by giving them peace of mind about their orders. Happy customers are more likely to shop with you again and recommend your business to others.
Like Aurel BioLife, you can achieve all these results by choosing a reliable order-tracking solution to integrate with your workflow seamlessly.
Enhancing the “Track Your Order” Journey for Customers
Suppose your customers have to manually input a complex code into a confusing page or app. In that case, it doesn’t count as a positive post-purchase experience.
When they click on “Track your order”, they must see the real-time details of their order in front of them without scroll.
Also Read: How does the courier/package tracking system work?
The order-tracking forms a crucial part of your customer’s experience. Ways in which you can enhance this journey for your customers –
- Accurate Information
The information provided must be accurate and reflect real-time location for the best customer experience.
- Multi-channel Communication
Ensure you contact them on multiple channels like email/SMS/WhatsApp unless they have opted out from any of the channels.
- Cohesive experience
The ‘Track Your Order’ page is another medium of communication with your customers. Offer a uniform experience that doesn’t catch them off-guard with consistent branding colours and messaging.
- Ease of Use
The tracking page must be absolutely easy to use for all types of users.
- Tracking of Returns
Returns form a major chunk of orders in transit. It’s best to offer a way to track the returned orders so customers know when to expect a replacement order or refund.
Trends in Real-Time Order Tracking Technology
New technologies like drones, smart packaging, and augmented reality are expected to completely change how customers track and receive their deliveries.
Picture this: drones could zip through cities to bring packages to customers’ doors faster and more efficiently than ever.
Smart packaging, with built-in sensors and tracking tags, could let shoppers know exactly where their package is and whether it’s unharmed.
With augmented reality, your customers might be able to virtually “open” their package before it even gets to them, making online shopping even more fun and interactive.
The green delivery trend, where customers can opt for environment-friendly delivery options, is on the rise.
Predictive analytics, with the help of AI, can better predict delivery dates and reasons for delays, further improving the process.
Also read: Benefits Of Having A Branded Tracking Page For Your eCommerce Business
Conclusion: Real-Time Tracking for E-Commerce
As discussed, real-time tracking is a necessary step in providing a positive and memorable customer experience. At the same time, it can be the foundation for improving business results like route optimization and better supply chain management.
If you need help with digital delivery tracking minus the complexity of multiple software or heavy investments, get in touch with us today.