It turns out it’s not only the Grinch who can steal Christmas. It is a time for businesses to exceed customers’ wildest expectations or lose customers. Most people don’t always understand that companies have no control over the volumes faced by third-party delivery companies.
Using popular and cheap postal services could be expensive if it results in losing customers during the most critical period of the year. While there are ways to lodge claims with a postal service, the waiting period mostly angers customers.
According to Comm Bank, around 10% of businesses make half of their turnover during this time. “It’s a particularly important time for small businesses in sectors such as transportation, amusement, and entertainment, where one-quarter of businesses rely on the holiday season for at least 50% of their earnings.”
Pack & Send says consumers are usually loyal to one or two e-commerce retailers, but not during Christmas. “They like to explore more options and better deals for buying gifts. This makes the Christmas season a perfect time to acquire new customers and convert them into loyal customers.”
Customers complain
Sandra Elliott posted on USPS’ Facebook page: “Well, here is the package with Christmas gifts I shipped from West Virginia to Pennsylvania.”
Other customers using UPS claim two Christmas parcels have gone missing already. Jann Hartman says: “UPS lost.. two packages a friend sent to me from near Houston. The first one was personalized gifts for me sent in a Chewy box, and the box was found…empty! Sorry, UPS, but you have lost me as a customer.”
Not everyone is feeling so merry waiting for their parcels to be delivered. In the UK, one X user mentioned on social media that he ordered two boxes, but the courier took them to the wrong address. “I am unable to locate [my parcel]. Evri confirmed that this was their fault. They’ve told me to obtain a crime reference number instead of refunding me.”
How to ensure effective third-party deliveries
Rajiv Perumal, vice president of the product team at Locus, says many businesses partner with third-party providers to fulfill their products until they gain a more extensive audience base. “A survey states that 82% of shippers rely on third-party providers to procure capacity for at least some of their orders.”
Perumal says: “The biggest concerns for brands and third-party logistics (3PL) in this setup are visibility, flexibility, and intelligence to automate carrier selection.”
Locate2u CEO Steve Orenstein says a solution exists to streamline a company’s logistics operations. “[Locate2u] automates your delivery process, straight from the ordering platform to driver assignment. Managing an all-time delivery database in cloud storage gives you statistical reports over different parameters like distance, delays, and customer feedback.”
Orenstein says Locate2u products also keep delivery drivers updated with optimized routes. “That way, you don’t have to spend hours planning the most efficient routes for your drivers. You can spend more time on other business areas to boost productivity.”
About the author
Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
