Your conveyor belts are humming along, carrying automotive aftermarket parts for a host of customers from high atop the distribution center, snaking their way through the facility, down to the loading area.
In fact, your ecommerce site has another order almost ready to be accepted and processed, except for one thing — and it has nothing to do with the selection of parts: this online shopper doesn’t like the checkout process. It’s taken too many steps. They’re unable to see the expected delivery dates of their order. And they’re also not happy with the payment options and lack of free shipping. They’d rather complete their purchase without registering on yet another website.
In essence, the checkout experience hasn’t been as easy as it could be. So, at the last second — when your parts operation should be receiving and fulfilling that order — they click a button (unfortunately, not the “submit order” button) — and move on to another site.
Sale lost.
What could have kept this customer engaged and propelled them to finalize their order? Complete satisfaction with the checkout experience.
According to the UPS’s 2015 What’s Driving the Automotive Parts Online Shopper study, 83 percent of online automotive parts shoppers compared pricing before placing an order. That means if they go as far as placing items in a cart, it’s not the selection, price or availability with which they’re concerned if they cancel their order. A full 70 percent surveyed said they expect a one- or two-click checkout experience. And 69 percent said they want to know the expected delivery dates of their parts; 68 percent want a variety of shipping options.
And, once an order is placed, 78 percent said they want the ability to track the order; 76 percent said they expect an email confirming their purchase; and 72 percent want a returns policy that’s easy to understand. If you’re not doing all you see above, your business needs help.
Fortunately, a trusted partner can help you meet customer expectations and keep those online shopping carts turning by making the checkout experience a breeze, offering transparent and varied shipping options. Once all those parts and other products are purchased, technology can increase shipment visibility, allowing customers to track their shipments and alert them to expected shipping times. These tools that facilitate fast order processing also minimize errors, keeping those conveyors humming and more orders coming in.
And should a return happen, a partner can help your business streamline the process, making it as easy to accept returns as it is to send out shipments. Not only will reliable and efficient returns provide your business increased control and visibility over the shipments, you’ll turn a potential revenue-sapping event into a competitive advantage.
From figuring it out to getting it done. UPS is here to help. See how at solvers.ups.com/auto.
