Written by Riva Lesonsky
Large, bulky shipments come with unique shipping frustrations.
Just over a decade ago, 74% of consumers were willing to wait five days to a week for their package to arrive. Currently, approximately the same percentage of consumers do not have If you purchase from a retail store and delivery takes more than 2 days. However, the shipping time for large and bulky items typically takes 10 to 21 days from purchase to delivery, so sellers of large and bulky items (often referred to as “ugly” shipments) are particularly vulnerable during peak shopping seasons like last year. So how can you maintain customer loyalty? -Do you go to school and on holidays?
The good news is that there are shipping solutions for ugly cargo. To learn more, I recently spoke with Heather Huber Salomon, his CEO at uShip, an online freight marketplace that streamlines shipping large and bulky items.
“Ugly” freight transportation challenges
Riva Lesonsky: First, what is “ugly” cargo?
Heather Huber-Salomon: Large, bulky shipments come with unique shipping frustrations. For this reason, the industry affectionately refers to these items as “ugly” cargo. The product itself may be a beautiful armoire or an ornate piece of art, but the shipping process can be a recipe for disaster. Items may be too large or oddly shaped, making them more difficult to load onto a truck. Or maybe a product (once perfectly packaged) has been assembled and must be transported from the customer's home back to the warehouse. There are many ways in which moving a beautiful item can turn ugly.
Lesonsky: Why is it so difficult to transport ugly cargo compared to other transported goods?
Huber Salomon: First, it becomes difficult to find experienced carriers to transport these items. Not all carriers have the right truck capacity or great shipping experience to handle the transport of ugly cargo. The transportation cost is also much higher, with the last mile shipping cost alone accounting for 30-40% of the total transportation cost. Finally, if your online sofa order turns out to be not just an ugly shipment, but an ugly one overall, returns pose a new set of logistical challenges. Perhaps this is why 68% of retailers report that the recovery rate after returning large and bulky items is less than 50% of the total cost.
Lesonsky: How do these delivery challenges impact the customer experience?
Huber Salomon: Unfortunately for small businesses, more than 70% of consumers say delivery issues negatively impact their opinion of the seller rather than the carrier, who is responsible for the error, and hurt the customer experience. Our research shows that 1 in 5 consumers have experienced a product arrive damaged, 1 in 7 have been bothered by a product not arriving, and 1 in 10 have experienced a product arriving damaged. He said he “wasted an entire day” trying to track down his purchases. These ugly current freight statistics don't bode well for small businesses looking to build customer loyalty.
Then there's the element of speed. 1714066332 They did so reluctantly, expecting the ugly shipment to take much longer than the average package to arrive. The customer wants the ugly freight shipping process to be closer to his two-day parcel purchase, and small businesses are inherently at a disadvantage, through no fault of their own.
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The importance of active communication and carrier testing
Lesonsky: What can small businesses do to deal with ugly freight shipping and improve the customer experience?
Huber Salomon: Larger e-commerce sellers are at a disadvantage, but there are ways to improve processes and maintain consumer trust.
For example, let's talk about communication. In the world of parcels, consumers are almost guaranteed to have access to real-time updates about their packages, and 90% of them actively track their packages while they are in transit. However, many companies still do not provide adequate tracking for inferior shipments, leaving customers confused.
When customers plan their day around receiving a delivery, they often get frustrated when the item doesn't arrive on time, or worse, it doesn't arrive at all. This accounts for more than half of the negative feedback sellers receive.
A big part of this puzzle is investing in tools that allow small businesses to manage expectations and communicate transparently with customers. Especially if your small business needs to regain customer trust, a great place to start is by implementing automated tracking software or sending alerts via email or text if there are any issues during shipping.
Lesonsky: What about carrier testing? What should small businesses look for in a delivery partner?
Huber Salomon: Carrier vetting is a key element in minimizing poor customer experience. It is essential to evaluate the performance of different carriers. We evaluate carriers based on factors such as whether the shipment was delayed, whether the carrier caused the delay, and whether the delay was caused by a weather event. Adopting a similar approach to small businesses can often mean the difference between satisfied and angry customers. .
The future of large-scale, bulky logistics
Lesonsky: What does the future hold for this space? Will there be technology in the future that could make it easier to transport ugly cargo?
Huber Salomon: Many promising technologies are currently under development. Thanks to AI and machine learning, a future where ugly cargo is just a box on a truck and effortlessly on its way to its destination within two days is within reach for the first time. Small businesses will soon be able to receive comprehensive quotes and be matched with carriers for large items in real-time using just a photo. Machine learning tools currently in development proactively flag and resolve delivery issues before humans even know they exist. Carriers can reroute in real time in the event of bad weather or road construction. And that's just the beginning.
Small businesses should not underestimate the impact communication and carrier scrutiny has on customer experience. Even if you can't change the fundamental logistical hurdles of shipping ugly cargo, invest in communication and carrier vetting strategies to improve customer impact until new technology shortens delivery times. can be minimized.
About the author
Rieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media. SmallBusinessCurrents.com I've been covering small business and entrepreneurship for more than 30 years.Sign up with her to get more insight into her business trends free ocean current Newsletter.
