Preventing misplaced packages: How to ensure successful first delivery attempts

Ensuring packages reach customers on the first attempt is crucial, yet up to 20% of deliveries fail initially. Addressing this challenge isn’t just a luxury; it’s a strategic way to cut shipping costs and boost customer satisfaction. In this article, we'll explore the impact of failed deliveries and show how achieving 100% first delivery attempt success can revolutionise your ecommerce business.

The impact of failed deliveries

Shoppers are looking for more convenience and security, PUDO (Pickup Drop Off) is here to stay. According to Digital commerce 360, there was a 66% increase in online shoppers adopting the delivery solution in 2022.
Over time, the seemingly smallest failures to deliver on the first attempt can erode customer trust and loyalty. Busy consumers often choose delivery options that are both convenient and reliable to fit their hectic schedules. First-time deliveries contribute towards an overall positive brand image and can also be an opportunity to create customer advocates.
It’s not always a simple case of retailer or courier fault that deliveries fail the first time. Something as simple as inputting the wrong address can initiate a time-consuming and cost-incurring sequence of events.
Porch piracy will affect most consumers at some point – and, while largely out of the hands of the retailer, the unfortunate reality is ecommerce brands will often bear the brunt of this as the ones responsible for the safe delivery of an order. Both brand perception and customer satisfaction are at stake. Even if the instance of theft is resolved in the end, each day a customer spends waiting for the replacement item is an extra day of added frustration – and the moment the order is finally fulfilled becomes a moment of relief instead of satisfaction.

Key elements of a successful delivery experience

To enhance first-time delivery success and improve the overall delivery experience, consider focusing on the following critical elements:

Effective communication:
As well as benefitting from the commercial uplift, retailers can rest assured their customer services teams can focus their attention away from the time-consuming queries associated with failed deliveries (which were previously avoidable) – and instead address more pertinent customer issues.

Pre-delivery notifications:
Keep customers informed about their order status, estimated delivery times, and any changes. This proactive communication can help set expectations and reduce anxiety.

Real-time tracking:
Enable customers to track their packages in real-time. This feature provides transparency and can enhance customer satisfaction by allowing them to monitor their delivery progress.

Consideration for delivery drivers:
Ensure that drivers are fairly compensated with appropriate wages and benefits. Fair treatment of drivers is essential for maintaining morale and efficiency.

Training and support:
Provide comprehensive training for drivers to ensure they follow best practices for efficient and accurate deliveries. The UPS training Solution is a program that supports both new and existing employees. In 2022, over 20,000 drivers were enrolled. Staff training for BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In Store)
and efficient in-store processes. The staff is trained to handle BOPIS orders quickly and accurately. This training ensures that customers who choose in-store pickup have a smooth and efficient experience.

Customer interactions:
Equip staff with the skills to effectively assist customers during pickups. Excellent customer service during these interactions can significantly enhance the overall experience.

Accurate address verification:
Address validation tools: You can implement address validation tools to verify and correct addresses before dispatch. This helps prevent delivery errors and ensures that packages reach the correct locations.

Clear labels:
Ensure that delivery labels are clear and easily scannable to avoid confusion or misplaced deliveries. Proper labelling is crucial for smooth and accurate deliveries.

What is a pickup point?

Also known as out-of-home delivery, a pickup point lets customers choose where they collect their goods, such as nearby shops, local parcel lockers, and in-store collections.While in-store collections have been around for a while, local pickup points have been proven to give consumers the flexibility and convenience they need in how and when they collect their orders.

What are the benefits of pickup points?

Flexibility: Customers are free to choose a pickup point that is most convenient for them, improving their overall delivery experience.
Efficiency: As multiple orders will typically be sent to one pickup location, it’s never been easier for last-mile delivery to be truly optimised.
Security: pickup points are located in secure locations, such as CVS, and UPS stores, reducing the risk of theft or misplaced packages.  They are local businesses, post offices or lockers. They’re also predetermined locations, so reduce the risk of manual error when inputting the delivery address.
Consumers are able to collect orders at their own convenience, and can be confident in what they will receive when they arrive. This improved confidence has been demonstrated to have an impact on average order values for repeat customers.

How to integrate local pickup software to your checkout

HubBox software is used on retailers’ checkout pages to provide their customers with convenient, secure and greener pickup options. HubBox is compatible with an extensive range of ecommerce platforms and technology stacks, including Shopify, Magento, Salesforce, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, custom-built sites, and more.
As our customer from Lucy & Yak puts it. “The integration was really easy”, says Jonny. “Our account manager at HubBox was brilliant, she gave us all the information we needed to make it work.

It’s time to deliver true customer satisfaction

The impact of failed deliveries on ecommerce retailers cannot be overstated. By solving first delivery attempt success through a simple integration, retailers can enhance customer satisfaction, reduce costs, and the overall delivery experience.