Pandemic-fueled lockdowns and store closures have driven a consumer shift online. Supply chains have struggled to keep up, and while shoppers were initially forgiving, they are quickly losing patience. Meanwhile, increased noise in the digital space is putting even more pressure on retailers to differentiate their offering online – and the checkout experience is a crucial stage to stand out.

Shoppers want just as much ease and convenience through tracking, delivery, and even returns, as they do at checkout. Our analysis reveals that 67% view convenience as the most important factor when buying online. Once they reach the product page, shoppers will abandon their cart if they aren’t convinced a retailer can provide the smooth process they want – no matter how good their experience was up to this point.

These are the steps retailers must take now to reassure customers at checkout, and continue winning customers in the All-Delivery Era.

Offer dynamic delivery options

Online shoppers want to receive their parcel in a way that suits them, whether that’s next-day delivery to their door, pick up in-store, or at a PUDO point on their way to work. Customers want delivery options to match their priorities – whether it’s speed, cost, or even environmental impact.

The brands that succeed in the All-Delivery Era will be those with a breadth of options that span all these needs, as well as the ability to serve shoppers the specific modes that suit them best.

Provide clearly specified delivery timeframes

Despite the many advantages of online shopping, one factor that continues to deter consumers is the anxious wait between purchase and delivery. Customers are hugely reassured by specific and accurate delivery timeframes, conveyed on the product page. Not only does this communicate a clear promise to shoppers, it also helps them weigh up their other options against considerations like cost and environmental impact.

Keep your delivery promises

There’s too much at stake to disappoint customers right now. Offering convenient options is one thing, but actually delivering on them is something else entirely. As demand continues to rise, reliability becomes even more indispensable – and yet even more challenging to achieve.

Help your operational team meet your customers’ expectations by reducing the margin for error. Make it easy for them to engage the right carriers to get orders where they need to be. Synch your supply chain with your front-end to ensure operations can flex to meet the diverse needs of customers around the globe.

The incentive for improving this crucial stage has become all the more enticing in pandemic-era shopping. And yet, the desire to receive goods in a convenient and personalized manner is as old as commerce itself. This stage of the online shopping journey has long been overlooked, and the improvements we’re seeing now will serve retailers well into the future.

Find out more about the All-Delivery Era, and how you can reinvent your ecommerce experience. Download the Metapack eCommerce Delivery Benchmark Report 2020.