Americans are shopping online at a growing rate every year. With the convenience of eCommerce retailers, consumers can easily order the vast majority of what they need from gifts to groceries with just the click of a button, saving them time and, quite often, money. The rise of online shopping has equated to well over 11 billion packages shipping out each year through USPS, FedEx, and UPS.
Subsequently, another trend on the rise as the result of all the eCommerce is the unfortunate rise in “porch-pirates.” According to CBS, thousands of consumers report missing packages every day equating to over 26 million lost or stolen packages each year. These packages are reported as delivered and then stolen off the consumer’s porch before the recipient can retrieve it. For the most part, companies assist the consumer in replacing the lost or stolen packages. For lower-priced deliveries, the inconvenience can be simply an annoyance, but what about when the delivery is something more valuable? A lost package of jewelry, high-end clothing, or electronics will cause a large dent in the bottom line of the retailer, if they can even replace it.
Furthermore, those higher-end packages are likely to be an item that the consumer does not have the time to investigate and go through a replacement process for. If a consumer is ordering a new computer online, the odds are highly likely that they need that item for immediate use for work or school. Likewise, clothing or jewelry ordered at a higher cost are most likely intended to be a gift, needed in the immediate future. With 74% of packages disappearing during the day, when the customer is likely to be at work, a recent finding has shown that more than half of the population is willing to change their plans if they know when a package is set to be delivered so that it will not have to sit out on their porch.
Consumers have proven that they want proactive communication from retailers, and that text messaging can be a highly effective tool for retailers to provide eCommerce personalization. MessageBuy can text the customer when a package plus shipping progress along the way once an opt-in for shipping notifications are secured. The customer can be provided with a series of texts that share when the package is out for shipment, what day it should arrive, and finally when it is out for delivery & its expected arrival time.
Recently, Forbes produced a study that showed that 80% of a company’s future business will come from 20% of its current customer base. In increasing customer satisfaction through text message updates, retailers are able to increase the likelihood of repeat business from consumers, thereby solidifying that 80% baseline.
MessageBuy is able to achieve several invaluable goals for both the retailer and consumer by providing text message shipping updates. The customer is able to plan for, and be present to accept the delivery when possible. This allows them to not only head off any potential porch theft but also avoid any spoilers in the event the package is intended to be a gift. The retailer is able to avoid potential losses by allowing the customer the opportunity to schedule around the delivery. Additionally, this communication further helps to bridge the gap between retailer and customer, increasing customer satisfaction and the potential for repeat business.