Whether you’re a novice Depop seller or a fledging fashion label, you’ll understand the importance of a reliable shipping process. In the era of instant gratification, customers are more impatient than ever to receive their orders – and they’re not afraid to share their discontent if it doesn’t arrive on time.
If you’re just breaking into the industry, navigating the shipping process and its many, many options might seem a little mystifying. To find out how to best stay ahead (literally), we turned to two fashion industry professionals in logistics for their tips.
For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.
The need for speed
According to the 2024 Inside Australian Online Shopping report by Australia Post, 67 per cent of Gen Z customers and 57 per cent of Gen Y are willing to switch retailers for faster shipping. However, with consumers only growing more demanding, the benchmark for ‘faster’ delivery has moved from days to, in some cases, under 24-hour arrival.
There’s a reason it’s called ‘retail therapy’. Every time you make a fun new purchase, the brain’s pleasure centre releases happy hormones like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins. Over time, that ‘buzz’ may begin to wear off – particularly in the case of younger customers.
“It’s not just delivery speed, but also speed of order fulfilment,” says Nathan Browning, Australia Post’s Key Account Manager. “Customers expect their order to be shipped within the next business day from the time of purchase.
“The critical thing for delivery is offering that customer choice in how quickly it arrives, whether that be in a few days or the next day,” Nathan says. “You’ll also be judged on your delivery commitment, so it’s equally important to deliver on the expectation you set.”
While logistics aren’t the most glamorous aspect of running a fashion label, it matters to your customers. What’s the point of them investing in that perfectly tailored pair of pants if they can’t wear them for next week’s birthday celebrations?
Of course, not every customer wants or needs the speediest delivery every time. But when they do, it’s nice to know they can pay a little extra to get their order fast-tracked. According to the report, 79 per cent of customers said they’d pay up to an extra $5 to get an item delivered the next day.
The luxury of choice
Want to explore options for faster shipping? The best place to start is at your online checkout – at least, that’s what one of Australia’s leading multi-brand retailers did. “We’ve seen shoppers’ behaviour change over the past few years,” says Myer’s Executive General Manager of Supply Chain, Tony Carr. “People need things delivered sooner and want a wider range of delivery options available to them.
“We needed a partner [like Australia Post] that could deliver the complete package for us and our customers. Someone to help us offer an online shopping experience that delivers for modern-day customers who want things now, not later.”
Cover your bases
Australia Post offers options at different price points and volumes for speedier delivery. Express Post covers all addresses in Australia and can deliver to most interstate locations by the next day.
For bigger businesses sending over 2,000 packages a year, Australia Post Metro is the best option for brands across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane (soon to be Adelaide, too) that want cost-effective, next-day delivery within the same state. It offers later pick-ups to give online shoppers extra time to browse and buy, knowing they’ll still get their items the next day.
“Thanks to the late pick-up, we can get more [Myer] orders out for delivery every single day. Plus, most customers can choose to have packages delivered to convenient Australia Post Parcel Lockers, offering them a flexible experience,” explains Tony.
Recently, the Australia Post Metro service also started offering Saturday deliveries to most residential addresses and Australia Post Parcel Lockers within its Melbourne network. “We strive to always stay competitive and relevant when it comes to e-commerce, and next-day delivery with Australia Post helps with that,” says Tony. “Seeing the huge amount of positive feedback customers are delivering back to us has been really rewarding.”
To explore next-day delivery options for your business, head here.
This article Better, faster, more reliable: How to nail your shipping process as a new fashion brand appeared first on Fashion Journal.
2025-04-15 12:45:00
#faster #reliable #nail #shipping #process #fashion #brand
Source link
