'Online conversion rate optimisation' is a phrase you may have already seen used on Shopify or Magento community support forums, but what is an online conversion rate and how is it linked to the international courier service you use?
First of all, your Ecommerce Conversion Rate (ECR) is the number of sessions (people visiting) on your website compared to the number of actual purchases. So, your international ecommerce conversion rate is when you only consider store visitors from other countries.
As an example, if you have three transactions/purchases for every 100 sessions, your ECR would be 3%. Monitoring this figure, helps you understand how well your online store is operating.
That explains that, but how does the international courier you use have an impact on whether you make a sale or not?
Well, customers who are relying on you to get what they’ve ordered to them safely and securely will be really keen to see a number of things:
- Delivery costs
- Delivery times
- Returns policy
- Courier used
All of these will be influenced by the international courier service you use, and they will all influence a customer’s decision on whether they abandon their cart or not.
Ecommerce platform Flow, found that high shipping costs were the reason 47% of customers abandoned their cart, with 32% saying lack of free shipping was a reason.
In fact, high shipping costs were mentioned in 9 out of the 11 countries surveyed as the number one reason for shopping cart abandonment.
Source: Flow.IO
Delivery time is also a factor. Customers don’t want to be waiting for ages to get what they’ve ordered. While they may be prepared to pay more for a fast delivery, they won’t want to wait weeks for financially friendly options.
Companies like Asendia have the experience to know how long it takes for a package to get from you to the four corners of the globe. They can give you robust estimations, taking everything from traffic, air freight times and delays at customs into account, Your customers will then have delivery options to choose from and their expectations are managed well.
But getting the item to the customer is far from the end of it, you also need to consider how they might return it too.
Invesp found a massive 67% of shoppers will check a business’s return process before making a purchase and an average of 71% said they’re not willing to pay for returns.
So, you’ll need to factor this in when choosing your delivery partner. Can they provide the returns policy you need via their own two-way International fulfilment centre, for example?
Finally, who you use to manage your deliveries will play a part. Customers may already be aware of how good (or bad) your chosen international courier is, and this will influence their decision to shop with you.
But the final-mile parcel company may also be a factor. Your international courier service may use a local partner already familiar to your customer and be a local favourite with a strong reputation in your destination country.
We all have our favoured local delivery company and seeing they will be involved gives you confidence in making a purchase. The same will go for your customer. They’ll know a local van driver will know the area and local customs, and how best to get that package into their hands, they may even know their local driver by name.
To find out how Asendia can help not only get your orders delivery safely, securely and on time, but also help with your Ecommerce Conversion Rate, get in touch.
To find out more about how Asendia can support you in optimising and localising your customer’s delivery experience, get in touch and speak to a member of the team.
