8 Tips for a Seamless Customer Journey: From Purchase to Delivery

The phrase “seamless customer journey” has become a buzzword in today’s e-commerce world. More and more brands are seeking ways to enhance shoppers’ shopping experiences. Much of this results from increased competition as online shopping has become the preferred way of purchasing for most people.

You are likely reading this blog post because you want to streamline your shoppers’ customer journey. If so, you are in the right place. This blog post will provide recommendations that, if followed, will make your buyers’ journey from purchase to delivery truly exceptional and earn you their loyalty. Let’s dive in!

Why Is It Necessary to Provide a Seamless Customer Journey

Providing a seamless customer journey impacts various critical aspects of your business. These include:

Customer Expectations

Advancements in technology and the growth of the e-commerce industry have resulted in online shoppers having high standards that businesses must strive to meet. Today’s buyers expect a smooth, efficient, and transparent shopping experience. When your business ensures a seamless customer journey, it enhances trust and confidence in your brand.

Customer Satisfaction

With the highly competitive nature of online retailing, providing a frictionless process minimizes customer frustrations. Businesses that commit to communicating clearly with buyers, providing accurate delivery timelines, and access to reliable order tracking information to keep them informed and reassured have more satisfied customers.

Brand Loyalty

A positive shopping experience encourages repeat purchases by buyers. Shoppers who enjoy a hassle-free experience from order placement to receiving the product are more likely to remain loyal to the brand. In the long run, this saves your business costs that would otherwise be spent acquiring new customers.

Reduced Cart Abandonment

A complicated customer journey is one of the leading causes of increases in cart abandonment on an e-commerce website. But when a business streamlines the shopping process and reduces barriers to the minimum, these efforts help to convert more customers.

Competitive Edge

With so many e-commerce brands available for buyers to choose from online, a seamless customer journey helps to set your brand apart. A positive shopping experience is a key differentiator, especially in niches where customer experience significantly influences purchasing decisions.

8 Tips for a Seamless Customer Journey: From Purchase to Delivery

1. Offer Multiple Payment Options

Anyone who has bought something online will attest that they have a preferred payment method. For some, it is the old reliable credit card. Others swear by digital wallets like PayPal. Recently, there has been a new kid on the block—buy now, pay later. BNPL provides shoppers the flexibility and convenience of paying for an item in installments.

The work of the e-commerce brand is to cater to different customer preferences and provide a smooth checkout process. Offering multiple payment options makes transactions easier and further streamlines the customer journey.

2. Provide Clear and Accurate Product Descriptions

Long before a buyer makes a purchase, it is crucial to set realistic expectations about the product they are buying. Online retailers can do this easily by providing clear and accurate product descriptions.

Ensure that the product listings have detailed descriptions and specifications of the goods you are selling. Additionally, you should provide clear images and videos of the items in use. Going this extra mile prevents misunderstandings and helps the customer make an informed buying decision.

3. Integrate Live Chat for Pre-sale and Post-sale Support

Customers often have a question or two about a product before making a purchase. That is why it is crucial to have live chat support available to answer their questions pre-sale. When buyers have their questions answered satisfactorily as they ponder a buying decision, it enhances their confidence, particularly for expensive purchases. Having live chat support at this stage of the customer journey helps to reduce the cart abandonment rate and improves customer trust.

Live chat support is also vital post-sale. It allows your brand to engage more with the customer and ensures they have an anxiety-free post-purchase experience. Live chat post-sale is ideal for support with tracking orders and returns.

Among several live chat tools, MooseDesk is the top-recommended free Live chat and Helpdesk app. Trusted by Shopify merchants worldwide, it helps deliver exceptional customer support. MooseDesk provides a powerful yet intuitive platform to manage customer inquiries through Omnichannel support hub: Live chat, WhatsApp, SNS, FAQ templates & Helpdesk. 

4. Implement Real-time Inventory Management

Real-time inventory management is crucial for e-commerce success, regardless of whether you handle stock yourself or work with a 3PL partner. According to a report by MHI and Deloitte, businesses using real-time inventory systems reported 35% fewer stockouts compared to those using manual methods.

By integrating your inventory system with your e-commerce platform, you give customers accurate, up-to-the-minute product availability – a feature that 78% of online shoppers consider “very important” when making purchase decisions.

For example, when a customer in New York orders the last red sweater in stock, shoppers in California should immediately see that item marked as “sold out.” This synchronization helps your team, too. You’ll get automatic alerts when inventory runs low, making it easy to reorder supplies before you run out. 

This will especially help during busy periods like Black Friday when sales can spike by 400% in a single day.

5. Enhance Delivery Experience Through Order Tracking

One of the top concerns for customers’ post-purchase experience is, “Where is my order?” These inquiries easily flood your customer support team if customers can’t track their orders.

Order tracking is critical to the customer delivery experience. With real-time package tracking and delivery estimates, shoppers can monitor their orders, reduce uncertainty, and increase satisfaction.

Creating a dedicated tracking page for your customers allows them to self-check their shipments, reducing the need for customer support queries. This frees your team to focus on other tasks that ensure a seamless customer journey.

It is recommended that the order confirmation email include the link to the tracking page with a clear call to action for buyers to follow up on their orders. To make it even easier, display the link on your website’s FAQ page.

A branded tracking page keeps shoppers on your website instead of redirecting them to a third-party carrier site. This keeps your brand top-of-mind, improves the experience, and builds more loyalty.

6. Automate Post-Purchase Notifications

Buyers experience post-purchase anxiety when they do not receive updates on the progress of their orders after making a payment. If your e-commerce brand wishes to offer a seamless customer experience from purchase to delivery, it must avoid this loophole.

Automating post-purchase notifications is the most reliable way to do this. Ask buyers for their email addresses or phone numbers so that you can send them prompt email and SMS notifications about the status of their orders.

Some recommended post-purchase stages at which you should send them notifications include when orders are received, during dispatch, and delivery. Remember to give recipients the option to opt in or out of notifications for a more memorable experience.

Timely post-purchase notifications help shoppers stay informed and engaged throughout the customer journey.

7. Ensure a Smooth Returns and Refunds Process

Product returns are an inevitable part of running an e-commerce business – studies show that customers return 20-30% of online purchases, compared to just 9% in brick-and-mortar stores.

Although returns might seem like a headache, they present an opportunity to build customer loyalty. Research by UPS found that 73% of shoppers say their return experience influences whether they’ll continue buying from a retailer.

The best approach to streamlining returns and refunds is automating the process and providing prepaid return labels. One of the most prominent examples of this is Zappos. This company has built its reputation on customer-friendly return policies. Its automated system lets customers generate return labels with a few clicks, and they even extend their return window to 365 days. 

This approach results in 25% higher customer retention rates and see 89% of those customers make repeat purchases

8. Optimize the Mobile Experience

Today, more shoppers buy goods online through their smartphones than they do on their desktop devices. The proliferation of these devices is the force behind this trend, as are brands providing an exceptional mobile shopping experience.

Consider optimizing for mobile to make a lasting impression on online shoppers and ensure a seamless customer journey. Your e-commerce website should quickly load on mobile devices, especially the checkout and order tracking processes. The mobile-friendly aspects of your platform should also extend to customer support, ensuring buyers can raise concerns on their mobile devices and get the help they need promptly.

Conclusion

Creating a seamless customer journey is essential for survival in today’s competitive e-commerce landscape. Ready to transform your customer experience? Start by installing a live chat solution like MooseDesk or order tracking took like Tracking More