! 21 % of the respondents felt that SMS confirmation of the order or of any delay in the order was the most convenient for them
! A tracking identification number of the courier service shipping the item over e-mail / SMS was rated next in terms of convenience
! Ability to track the shipment with the convenience of their mobile device or on the retailer ' s website was deemed next in order of importance
! Finally, as the last option, customers said that they would call up on the customer care number to know the status of the order. This emerged as the least preferred option.
Delving deeper into each of the options following was found:
Option 1 – A text message alert when shipment will be delivered
Around 93 % of the respondents said that an SMS alert is very convenient for them to know about the status of the order.
Extremely Inconvenient Very Inconvenient
Somewhat Inconvenient Neutral
Somewhat Convenient Very Convenient
Extremely Convenient
0.00 0.00
1.96 4.90
16.67 24.51
51.96 0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00 60.00
Option 2- E- mail or SMS tracking notification with a tracking number
The next option that was rated 2nd in terms of importance while tracking the order was that of receiving the tracking number of the shipment with the carrying courier. About 95 % of the respondents felt this was a very convenient option.
Extremely Inconvenient Very Inconvenient
Somewhat Inconvenient Neutral
Somewhat Convenient Very Convenient
Extremely Convenient
Option 4 – Ability to track shipment with mobile device
With the ever increasing popularity of smart phones, order tracking with the help of mobile phones had a significant level of acceptance, with about 87 % of the respondents being positive on this.
Extremely Inconvenient Very Inconvenient
Somewhat Inconvenient Neutral
Somewhat Convenient Very Convenient
Extremely Convenient
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00 40.00
Option 5 – An easy to find customer care number on which one can call
A large percentage of customers found it tedious to contact a customer service agent to know about the status of the order. The major reasons stated were the unavailability of agents and large amount of time taken to respond to the call.
Extremely Inconvenient Very Inconvenient
Somewhat Inconvenient Neutral
0.98 0.00 0.00
0.00 0.00 0.98
6.86
11.76
23.53
24.51
25.49
32.35 36.37
37.25
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00 40.00
0.00 0.98
11.76 10.78
Not at all important Very Unimportant
Somewhat Unimportant Neutral
0.00
0.00 1.96 2.94
Somewhat Convenient Very Convenient
Extremely Convenient
17.65
28.43
30.39
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00
Somewhat Important Very Important
Extremely Important
23.53 31.37
40.20 0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00 40.00 45.00
Option 3 – Ability to track shipment directly on the retailer ' s website
92 % of the respondents surveyed said that being able to see the status of the order on the retailer ' s website was very convenient for them.
2.4 RECOMMENDATIONS
! Post product shipment, the customer ' s touch point is the courier service provider. Hence the first step of ensuring a better post purchase experience would entail a better understanding between online retailers and the courier service provider. Online retailers should forge a long-term relationship with its courier partners with clear understanding of online retailers ' expectations from them.
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