{"id":45105,"date":"2023-04-20T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shippingeasy.com\/?p=45105"},"modified":"2024-09-12T14:22:09","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T19:22:09","slug":"how-to-meet-customer-expectations-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shippingeasy.com\/blog\/how-to-meet-customer-expectations-in-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Meet Customer Expectations in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With more and more merchants joining the ecommerce space, your small business needs to stand out. And, the best place to start is by reviewing your current shipping process and customer-facing policies. It\u2019s crucial to be on the same page as your customers in order to meet their expectations. We recently conducted a study, Protect Your Growth Strategy: 2023 Consumer & Merchant Benchmark Report<\/a>, where we asked both customers and merchants about their expected shopping and shipping habits. Selling on social media, offering free returns, and increasing shipping communications are important to customers and are shaping their expectations around online shopping. Let\u2019s talk about these factors that contribute to customer satisfaction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Make Shipping Easy with a 30-day free trial<\/a>.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Table of Contents <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Utilize social media<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Offer free and easy returns<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Communicate shipping progress<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Conclusion<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n

    Utilize social media <\/h2>\n\n\n

    Social media engagement<\/a> is one of the best tools for small businesses. Social media platforms offer limitless opportunities to promote products in creative ways.<\/a> For example, you can create posts with links to your store that show your products in action. Customers can then easily purchase items and see how products are used or worn. Additionally, social media can be used to get feedback directly from customers. Include polls in stories to see what products customers are enjoying or would like and order inventory accordingly. You can even ask customers about returns and other policies. Your customers drive sales, so implement their feedback whenever and wherever you can. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cI would say the revenue generated from the shopping cart of our website is approximately 20% to 25%, but the revenue generated because of visibility online is probably close to 90%.\u201d<\/p>–  Cornucopia Popcorn\u2019s<\/a> founder and CEO Nadia Elhaj<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are becoming increasingly popular selling channels. When asked, our study found that 50% of merchants plan to start selling on Facebook while 40% plan to start selling on Instagram. Additionally, we found that over 50% of customers buy products from Facebook, with Instagram as a close second at almost 40%. Shoppers are turning to social media platforms for their purchases, so it\u2019s time to move your products in front of a larger audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Opening your business to a new audience isn\u2019t limited to social media platforms. Expanding to other marketplaces like Amazon<\/a> and eBay<\/a> gets your products in front of a larger audience. These marketplaces can be integrated into your ShippingEasy account, so orders in a syncable status<\/a> will automatically pull onto your orders page. It\u2019s that simple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe have all of our sales channels connected within ShippingEasy. We\u2019ve got Etsy<\/a>, eBay, Amazon, and then, most importantly, our Shopify<\/a> store. It could not be easier to go into ShippingEasy and just click \u2018add a store.\u2019 You just connect the two and it\u2019s up and running.\u201d<\/p>– Boardroom Socks<\/a> CEO Nathan James<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n

    Offer free and easy returns <\/h2>\n\n\n

    Don\u2019t underestimate the power of free returns, as they\u2019re more important to customers than ever. Our study found that 81% of consumers believe returns should be free. However, we also found that 66% of merchants don\u2019t offer free returns. So, offering free returns can help your business rise above the competition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Consumers also expect a convenient return policy. Imagine you\u2019re the one returning a product. Ask yourself these questions when reviewing your current return policy<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n