{"id":436,"date":"2021-06-11T07:29:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T12:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/uk\/blog\/customer-fulfillment-experience\/"},"modified":"2025-11-17T23:16:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T23:16:00","slug":"customer-fulfillment-experience","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/uk\/blog\/customer-fulfillment-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"How Improving your Customer’s Fulfilment Experience Drive’s Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Table of Contents<\/p>

** Minutes<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

What is the fulfilment experience?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer satisfaction and the fulfilment experience<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to create a fulfilment experience customers will remember<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Offer affordable 2-day shipping<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating fulfilment experiences at scale<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Key Takeaways<\/h2><\/span><\/div>
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1<\/p><\/div>

The fulfilment experience involves the efficient process of picking, packing, and shipping orders, which significantly impacts customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

2<\/p><\/div>

Offering fast and affordable shipping options, such as 2-day delivery, can reduce cart abandonment and enhance the customer experience.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

3<\/p><\/div>

Custom packaging and a memorable unboxing experience can differentiate a brand and encourage customers to share their purchases on social media.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

4<\/p><\/div>

Effective communication, including order tracking and a clear returns policy, is crucial for maintaining transparency and improving customer satisfaction.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Signature scents, music, mannequins wearing the latest styles\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical stores have always offered a lot of opportunity to create an in-person experience to lure shoppers in, build brand recognition, and drive more sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, almost everyone shops online without ever needing to leave the house. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online shopping is very convenient, so it\u2019s no wonder that many shoppers prefer it. But how do you enhance the customer experience without a physical space?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In ecommerce, it\u2019s all about establishing a strong post-purchase experience, from offering fast and affordable shipping to putting extra care in the unboxing experience. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The post-purchase experience relies heavily on the retail fulfilment<\/a> process. Receiving a delivery is the first interaction that your customer has with your brand physically, so you want to leave them with a great first impression to help encourage a repeat purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, you will learn what the fulfilment experience entails and how you can optimise your supply chain<\/a> to enhance the customer experience.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the fulfilment experience?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The fulfilment experience refers to the process of picking, packing, and shipping packages to customers to get orders delivered efficiently and accurately. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The customer experience relies on successful ecommerce fulfilment<\/a>.<\/span> Even though the customer doesn\u2019t see this process in motion, supply chain efficiency<\/a> impacts the customer\u2019s unboxing experience and is tied to brand loyalty<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below outlines the order fulfilment<\/a> stages that influence a customer\u2019s experience with your online brand.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Order confirmation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When a customer clicks \u201cbuy,\u201d the user journey<\/a> is not over. Though many online brands focus a lot of attention on the pre-purchasing experience, the post-purchase experience is what keeps customers hooked and coming back for more. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It starts with establishing a communication process with your customers, starting with order confirmation. Once a customer makes a purchase, it\u2019s important to provide any updates on estimated fulfilment and shipping time as soon as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several ways to communicate order confirmation with your customers, whether it\u2019s through a simple transactional email or sending a text message. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shipping details and tracking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once you fulfil and ship orders, customers expect an update during the last-mile delivery<\/a> stage. <\/span>Ecommerce order tracking<\/span><\/a> allows you to monitor all of your online orders and shipments and communicate the order status to your customers (e.g.,<\/span> estimated delivery dates). This plays a key role in the customer experience, letting buyers know what to expect for their delivery and be notified of any delays right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delivery speed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With the rise of <\/span>on-demand logistics<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s never been easier to optimise for a speedy delivery. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Major shipping couriers, including USPS, UPS, and FedEx<\/a> offer different levels of services based on your needs, from affordable ground shipping<\/a> to expedited shipping<\/a> via air. With that said, p<\/span>aying for <\/span>premium shipping<\/span><\/a> to meet customer expectations isn\u2019t your only option. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with establishing strong carrier partnerships, a <\/span>third-party logistics (3PL)<\/span><\/a> provider operates multiple fulfilment centres<\/a> in different regions and major cities across the globe (not to mention they negotiate discounted shipping rates with couriers).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 3PL\u2019s distribution<\/a> model allows merchants to <\/span>allocate inventory<\/span><\/a> in different locations based on where there is the most demand. Once you connect your online store to the <\/span>3PL\u2019s software<\/span><\/a>, orders are automatically routed to the nearest fulfilment centre.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 3PL partner enables an ecommerce business to provide fast, efficient delivery for all customers, no matter where they live, at an affordable price that doesn\u2019t cut into profit margins. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unboxing experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Did you know <\/span>40% of online shoppers<\/span><\/a> would share an image of their purchase on social media if it came in branded packaging? <\/span>The unboxing experience is often the first real-life interaction customers have with your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An <\/span>unboxing experience<\/span><\/a> can help you stand out from your competitors. Getting creative with packaging is a great way to delight customers and enhance the fulfilment experience. Not only will customers be excited to shop from you again, but they are also more likely to share their experience with their friends. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returns<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Online brands that invest in a solid returns process see a <\/span>12%<\/span><\/a> increase in customer satisfaction. Returns happen all the time (for numerous reasons), especially around the holiday shopping season. But returns don\u2019t necessarily mean a lost sale. In fact, returns are an opportunity<\/span> to further enhance the customer experience<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, if you have a customer seeking a different size after ordering a dress that was too small, you can enable an easy exchange for both your customer and fulfilment operation by<\/span> processing the return and shipping the right size within days. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A <\/span>returns management process<\/span><\/a> can be improved by training your ecommerce customer service<\/a> team to connect with your customers, get feedback, and process returns and exchanges quickly. Feedback is important here as you can gather insights as to what\u2019s driving the most returns. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cFor reverse logistics, we have also been leveraging ShipBob\u2019s Returns API to automate and streamline our routine RMA processes. Having ShipBob handle our returns has been a huge help in reducing our daily workload, and the ability to drive this process via API is wonderful.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waveform Lighting Team<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Customer satisfaction and the fulfilment experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s standard for customers to expect fast shipping at an affordable price. Online brands that offer different shipping options and incentives for their customers (e.g., free shipping by spending a certain amount) can increase their average order value<\/a> (AOV) and reduce their <\/span>cart abandonment<\/span><\/a> rate.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, establishing a flexible shipping strategy<\/a> that meets customer expectations is a big component of the fulfilment.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to create a fulfilment experience customers will remember<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From order accuracy<\/a> to the type of packaging you use, there are several ways to optimise the fulfilment experience. But it often requires a robust fulfilment infrastructure and technology, especially if you want to compete with established brands.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To enhance the fulfilment experience, fast-growing online brands turn to 3PLs like ShipBob that provide the fulfilment network, technology, support, and expertise you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ShipBob even integrates directly with the leading ecommerce customer service and helpdesk platform, Gorgias<\/a>, allowing brands to have seamless customer support and shipping data in one place to streamline any post-purchase order inquiries and actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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