Use Your Shipping System Data to Make More Sales

You took the order on your web site. But after you ship the package, are you done with that order? What do you do with the information from that order and shipment to build your business? You might have your shipping system send a shipment notification email like the CPS SHIP eLERT. Customers like those and it saves you customer service costs when your customers don't have to call you for tracking information. You may follow up with your customer to be sure they got their order and are satisfied. In the future, you might also contact them by email or snail mail about specials, send them your catalogue, or send information about product you have they really like. All of these are great. What about the shipping data? Why not use your shipping data to build sales, too?

Used correctly, the data in your shipping system can definitely help. If you analyze your shipping data to discover your average cost to ship a package, then break that down by the service you use (Ground, 2 Day, etc.), you are on your way to building sales. How? Studies show a lot of web site orders are lost when the shipping cost exceeds the customer's expectation. If you can decrease or eliminate shipping cost "sticker shock", you will decrease your site's abandoned shopping carts and increase your market size.

Analyzing shipping data can be time consuming and maybe confusing. If you build a report that breaks down shipping cost, maybe by carrier and definitely by the service used, you can use these to determine average shipping costs for each service. Use "Flat Rate" shipping charges on your web site instead of calculating shipping separately for every order and you are on your way. If you calculate shipping charges based on the delivery address for every order, you charge people who are farther away more for shipping. This turns your company into a local or, best case, regional business. You created your web site to sell to a bigger market. Why kill your plan? Flat rate shipping charges establish you as a national business.

Harvey Software's CPS shipping system has an exclusive Flat Rate Shipping Charge Analysis report that provides this invaluable shipping cost data. When you charge "Flat Rate" shipping, your customers know the shipping cost immediately, which can reduce abandoned shopping carts. Your customers have a better shopping experience and you retain more sales. The CPS Flat Rate report runs in just seconds, displaying a break down and average cost for each carrier service. You can run the report for all carriers or select the carrier(s) to be included. Your company's actual shipping history and charges are used, so you know you have the best information for your company. Use Flat Rate Shipping costs to make it simpler for you and better for your customers - a combination for more sales and savings.