How thinking "inside" the box can dramatically boost revenues!
Courtesy of BidBoosters.com
Thinking outside of the box isn't always a good idea. At least not when it's the shipping box we're talking about. Most sellers spend a good amount of time preparing for an auction, but pay little attention to the revenue potential after the sale. If that's you we're talking about, then you're potentially leaving a lot of money on table.
Order fulfillment is a lot more than just getting the product into the buyer's hands. Once you have made a sale to a buyer, you have the potential to continue selling to them. When people are satisfied with a purchase they are more likely to buy from the same seller again. All you have to do is make that process easy for them to do.
It doesn't matter if you do the shipping yourself, or use a fulfillment house, when your package arrives on the customer's doorstep, it's the last chance you'll have to make a good first impression.
In "normal" bricks and mortar shopping, your customer has a chance to judge the quality of a business by the look and location of the store, the appearance and behavior of sales people, and the way that products are merchandised. As an online seller, you do not have the chance to dazzle your customer with any of those quality indicators. In fact, all you have is your shipping box and what's inside of it. This represents your entire physical presence in the real world, so let's put your best face forward.
Appearances count, so make sure that you look good. Use professional shipping boxes or envelopes. A used avocado box, from your local grocery store, wrapped with duct tape, doesn't motivate the customer to want to do business with you again. You can buy perfectly acceptable boxes, and professional, padded shipping envelopes, at any office supply store. If you make a lot of shipments, then consider buying wholesale. Check your Yellow Pages under the heading of "Boxes - Corrugated and Fiber", or "Office Supplies - Wholesale".
While you are at it, use a typed or printed shipping label instead of scrawling the address in magic marker. You can buy custom-printed labels with your company names for peanuts. It's a small investment and it creates a rich look.
Your next challenge is the packing material. You should avoid Styrofoam "peanuts" at all costs. Not only are the environmentally unfriendly, but they are expensive and many people do not like receiving them. A client of mine received a letter from the Environmental Protection Agency after he had shipped them some software they had ordered.
The letter thanked my client for using shredded paper as packing material, instead of non-biodegradable materials, and assured my client that his company would be their first choice for off-the-shelf software purchases in the future. That turned into a pretty good contract for him and all because he cared about his packing material.
If you have an office shredder you can shred your wate paper and not only keep it out of your dumpster but produce quite a bit of packing material as well. If you have more shipping than waste paper, consider buying corn starch "peanuts". They are 100% biodegradable and they're as sturdy as the Styrofoam ones.
Beside your product and invoice, there are some other important things that need to go inside of the box. Make sure that you have something that clearly explains your return policy. If your return policy is "All sales are final", then be sure to at least say that. If you require a Return Merchandise Authorization, then include one, or include instructions on how to get one from your web site.
Next comes the Thank You Note. Yep, a hand written one, on thank you note paper is best, but you can include a printed one if you have high volume. In it, thank the customer for purchasing from you, invite them to purchase again, and, if possible, include a discount offer for some other product or service. If you have a free giveaway, like advertising specialty items, be sure to include one in the box as well.
This is also the perfect time to offer other sales incentives like your catalog or flyer, special sale items, and any products or services that you might be an affiliate of. This is perfect opportunity to cross-sell, up-sell and convince your customer that you're worth doing business with again. If you have an electronic newsletter, or Ezine, make sure you invite them to subscribe.
In Louisiana, the Cajun people have a wonderful phrase. It's called lagniappe - "lan-yap", and it means "a little something extra". It's a merchant's way of showing a customer how valued they are. In other parts of the country it might be called a "Baker's Dozen" from the days when you would buy a dozen pastries and the baker would thrown in one more.
No matter what you call it, most people are defiantly not used to lagniappe these days. If you find a way to deliver a little "something extra", you can be pretty sure that the customer will notice and will think of you the next time the have a need. A happy customer is most likely to become a repeat customer, give you a top notch auction reviews, and tell everyone how great you are. If you use your auctions as a strategy to sell non-auction items to your customers as well, then "Thinking INSIDE the Box" will bring great rewards!
Printed with permission of BidBoosters.com :: BidBoosters.com helps power sellers and auction newbies save money, increase sales, and boost online auction selling success with professional templates, free embedded item photos, and insightful auction selling information.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for that lagniappe or "a little something extra" ? How about this for thinking "INSIDE THE BOX!?"
Tissue Paper 64 Colors Available
Colored Bubble Wrap ®
Colored Bubble Envelopes
Fun Foam Hearts (Void Fill Cushioning)
Colored Tape
