Money talks in eCommerce, and your consumers want fast shipping — or 46% will abandon their shopping cart, and 27% of them will go to a competitor instead.
Standard shipping used to be the, well, standard for buyers. Amazon raised the stakes with Prime, and for a while, they were the only marketplace that could offer 3-day, 2-day, and next day shipping.
Today, other marketplaces are emerging with their own fast shipping programs, such as Walmart 2-day delivery, eBay Fast ‘N Free, and Wish 2-day.
Not only do your buyers want it, it also makes great business sense. Consumers are willing to pay more for fast shipping, which means more money in your pocket, and a better experience for your buyers.
Fast shipping brings many benefits to your customers and your business, boosting conversions across all sales channels and helping you delight your customers. This article will go over how fast shipping will help you generate conversions, no matter where you sell.
How 2-day delivery ensures conversions across all channels
One hundred and sixty-three years ago, it took 25 days to post a package from St. Louis to San Francisco. Today, you can achieve the same feat in just 2-days, which has significant benefits for your sales channels.
1. Increase conversions on online marketplaces
In an increasingly crowded corner of the eCommerce world, 2-day delivery gives you a vibrant characteristic to stand out: fast shipping programs.
Online marketplace fast shipping programs are designed to please customers while increasing your conversions by…
Boosting your search result placement
Fast shipping programs such as eBay Fast ‘N Free and Walmart TwoDay enhance your visibility in the search results through:
- Higher rankings that see your listings returned among the top search results for related queries.
- Inclusion in fast shipping-filtered search queries, increasing the results your products appear in.
- More sales that drive customer reviews and SEO to increase sales further (known as the flywheel effect).
Winning the buy box
Walmart TwoDay and other fast shipping programs result in a 36% buy box lift — meaning that you’re more likely to appear as the prominent seller on the product page and automatically win sales.
Distinguishing your brand
Fast shipping programs such as eBay Fast ‘N Free come with a bright, fast shipping tag that visually sets your listings apart from other sellers in the search results.
Even better, fast shipping program tags act as endorsements from the marketplace – something that increases customer confidence in buying from you.
2. Increasing conversions on D2C stores
Interestingly and importantly, it’s not just online marketplace listings that see a conversion boost from 2-day delivery. Fast fulfillment increases conversions on your Shopify, BigCommerce, or other eCommerce platform too.
How?
Establishing trust and credibility
Fast shipping for your BigCommerce and Shopify stores signals that you value and invest in the customer experience. This makes you appear more trustworthy and credible while meaning customers don’t have to wait long to ensure their order arrives.
Creating or satisfying a sense of urgency
Fast shipping taps into the urgency phenomenon, where you create a feeling of time pressure that drives customers to convert out of fear of missing out (FOMO).
Likewise, 2-day and next-day delivery satisfies the genuine urgency of those who leave shopping until the last minute. 2-day shipping allows customers to meet the genuine or perceived urgency with the confidence their order will arrive on time.
Giving your shoppers control and convenience
2-day delivery provides customers with the convenience of Amazon and the personalization of buying directly from your Shopify or BigCommerce store. You’re allowing shoppers to choose a delivery date that works for them, providing convenience, and valuing them as a customer, which is hugely attractive in a world full of uncertainty and mass production.
3. Instagram and Facebook Shops
Think 2-day shipping can only increase conversions on your marketplaces and eCommerce platforms? Think again.
Facebook and Instagram Shops’ unstoppable growth makes these crucial considerations for your sales strategy, and 2-day shipping works wonders here too.
Attracting customers to your advertisements
Leading fulfillment partners give you access to dynamic social media 2-day fast shipping tags that use the customer’s location to display 2-day or next-day delivery depending on their location. This makes your Facebook and Instagram ads both relevant and attention-worthy.
Generating positive user-generated content
People love talking about and sharing positive shopping experiences, meaning that people are more likely to talk positively about your brand after receiving their item quickly. And when social media recommendations influence 23% of shoppers, this is an important consideration.
Replicating the ease of buying through social media
Instagram has made online shopping seamless. It’s quick and easy to buy products without leaving their platform.
Fast shipping extends the iconic Instagram shopping experience by making it quick and easy to receive products too.
How to reduce the costs of 2-day delivery
Shipping costs money, and when 80% of shoppers consider free delivery as one of the most important factors of shopping online, 2-day shipping can get expensive.
However, there are ways to reduce the costs of 2-day delivery to benefit your balance sheet and your customers.
1. Use a fulfillment service
An eCommerce fulfillment service has the buying power, efficiencies, and warehouse networks to achieve 2-day deliveries at the lowest price point possible. Outsourcing your fulfillment to a third party also means that you can quickly scale your shipping requirements without the need to invest in additional warehouse space, staff, or other costs.
Tip: See if your fulfillment provider has an all-inclusive service, so you know exactly what you’ll pay for your SKUs whether they’re going to Dallas or Delaware. Calculate your fulfillment rates here.
2. Use an intelligent finance platform to maximize cash flow
eCommerce finance platforms, such as Kickpay, allow you to unlock capital tied in inventory. This maximizes your cash flow and enables you to invest in the customer experience and scale your business to generate more profit.
3. Implement a minimum spend threshold
Set a minimum spend threshold that customers must reach before unlocking free 2-day delivery. This guarantees you a certain level of profit before offering free shipping while also increasing average order value.
Key takeaway
When shoppers think of 2-day deliveries, they usually think of Amazon. However, 2-day and next-day deliveries can increase conversions across all your online marketplaces, D2C eCommerce store, and even social media shops.
And the best thing about 2-day delivery? With the right fulfillment partner, 2-day and next-day delivery is now accessible to merchants of all sizes.
About the Author
This is a guest post from Rachel Go, senior content marketing manager at Deliverr. Deliverr provides fast and affordable fulfillment for your Shopify, Walmart, Amazon, eBay, Wish, and BigCommerce stores, helping to boost sales through programs like 2-day delivery for Shopify, Walmart 2-day delivery, eBay Fast ‘N Free, and Wish 2-day.
Deliverr’s FBA-like multi-channel fulfillment comes with clear pricing, easy onboarding and a hassle free experience so you can focus on growing your eCommerce business.
