Converting shoppers on your Shopify store is the holy grail of online retail. You avoid marketplace fees, have direct influence over the buyer’s journey, and can build a long-term relationship that increases customer lifetime value.
Previously, winning those conversions involved price wars, expensive advertising, and a lot of good luck. Nowadays, 2-day delivery is accessible to Shopify sellers, changing the way you convert customers and increase sales. Here are some actionable insights into how fast shipping converts, and practical tips on implementing speed on your store.
Why 2-day delivery is the new eCommerce standard
Amazon, Walmart, and eBay have equated online shopping with immediate gratification by reducing standard shipping speeds, and consumer expectations have followed. The average amount of time a consumer expects to wait for an online delivery has decreased 21% in the past two years, with many shoppers using fast shipping programs to satisfy their delivery needs.
This shift in focus from price to shipping has occurred for 5 main reasons.
1) Profit
Price wars have become associated with sub-quality items, poor service, and low profits – making them unattractive to shoppers and sellers alike.
Fast shipping, on the other hand, can provide consumers with value through low delivery costs, and sellers with profits through increased conversions.
2) Brand awareness
Brand awareness is crucial for anyone selling via Shopify. 2-day delivery gives you something to grab attention in your advertising campaigns, making you stand out from competitor websites.
3) Customer retention
Nearly half of consumers will abandon a brand if they deliver an item late. This demonstrates how important fast shipping is for customer retention. 2-day deliveries help you satisfy current customers and drive repeat purchases.
4) Trust
2-day delivery can be used to imply that you’re a trusted seller who puts customer satisfaction before profits. This is important for attracting new customers away from online marketplaces and onto your store.
5) Psychology
Fast delivery also influences the decision-making process through:
- Instant gratification – receiving orders quickly
- Risk aversion – securing orders in time
- Loss aversion – receiving products before they sell out
Examples of how 2-day delivery affects Shopify conversions
To truly understand how 2-day delivery affects Shopify conversions, let’s take a look at some real-life examples of how Shopify sellers are using fast shipping to increase conversions.
Fast shipping tags
Fast shipping tags and banners are a known benefit of fast shipping programs like Walmart TwoDay delivery. They work highlight listings eligible for 2-day delivery – making consumers aware of the benefit, and adding to the perceived value of the item.
As shown by Vasanti Cosmetics, it’s not just online marketplaces where fast shipping banners work. By including these on their Shopify store, they have highlighted the benefit of buying directly with them, which in turn has helped to increase conversions.
Countdown timers
Fast shipping isn’t always a luxury – sometimes, it’s a necessity. Last-minute and impatient shoppers can be tempted to head to Amazon or Walmart, where they know they’ll receive their order in two days.
Hip seat seller TushBaby has used 2-day shipping countdown timers to overcome this problem, by visually showing customers exactly how much longer they have left to receive an item in two days. Not only that, they also guarantee customers delivery in two days or they’ll receive $5 credit to compensate.
This reassures last-minute shoppers and can create a sense of urgency for regular shoppers, helping to get TushBaby a 30% lift in Shopify sales.
Next day delivery
If, like Amazon, 2-day delivery is not quite quick enough, next-day delivery can help to convert even the most impatient of shoppers.
Male care brand Chassis has supercharged its Shopify delivery by offering eligible customers NextDay deliveries at no extra cost. The use of 2- and NextDay delivery on Shopify has helped Chassis get double digit growth.
Sign-up to our newsletter and receive a 30% discount on your first 6 months with SmartrMail
How to implement 2-day delivery on your Shopify store
So, you’ve heard the benefits and seen the results – now, let’s share some actionable tips on how to deliver customer orders in two days. There are two main ways to achieve 2-day delivery on your Shopify store; in-house fulfillment and outsourced fulfillment.
1. In-house fulfillment
If you have an existing in-house fulfillment operation that can handle volume, or you’re a small eCommerce business, then you can achieve 2-day delivery by using the right strategies, software, and shipping carriers.
A few considerations include:
- Warehouse locations – The more dispersed your stock is across the country, the less distance orders have to travel, and the more shoppers you can offer 2-day delivery to. Consider adding multiple warehouse locations to your fulfillment network to achieve this.
- Holiday staff – Peak periods are not an excuse to miss delivery deadlines. To prepare for the upcoming holiday spend, you’ll need to budget for additional staff.
- Tools and partners – An optimized warehouse flow is critical for getting deliveries out in time. This requires the use of inventory software to collate orders, a logical warehouse layout to minimize idle time, and a reliable carrier.
2. Outsourced fulfillment
If you don’t have the necessary skills or operations to handle 2-day delivery in-house, then an outsourced fulfillment partner can be a great time-saver to meet those 2-day delivery targets. All you need to do is ship your products to their warehouses and let them handle getting orders to buyers.
A few considerations include:
- Country coverage – Warehouse locations are vital when choosing where to outsource fulfillment. Look for a fulfillment provider that has enough warehouses to offer 95%+ coverage of the US.
- Pricing – The cost of outsourced fulfillment should not be prohibitive. Look for a provider who offers a flat-rate fee structure and keeps pricing transparent to avoid surprises later.
- Shopify integration – Direct integration with Shopify is essential and, to benefit from the conversion-boosting tactics we mentioned above, look for a provider who offers fast shipping banners and countdown timers for Shopify.
- Multi-channel integrations – If you also sell on online marketplaces, look for a provider who offers multi-channel delivery and automatic qualification for fast shipping programs.
Putting it all together
To summarize, 2-day delivery attracts customers, increases brand awareness, boosts trust, and uses consumer psychology to drive conversions and profits. It doesn’t get better than that this holiday season!
About the Author
This is a guest post from Rachel Go, who handles content and partnerships at Deliverr.
Deliverr provides fast and affordable fulfillment for your Shopify, Walmart, Amazon, and eBay stores, helping to boost sales through programs like 2-day delivery for Shopify, Walmart 2-day delivery, Seller Fulfilled Prime, and eBay Fast n’ Free.
Deliverr’s FBA-like multi-channel fulfillment comes with clear pricing, easy on-boarding and a hassle free experience so you can focus on growing your eCommerce business.
