Shipping and delivery: what customers expect
What has to be on the site, what each option costs, and how to avoid promising anything you cannot deliver.
In short
- Three options are enough: pickup, a parcel point and home delivery.
- Price and delivery time should be visible before people start checkout.
- A flat shipping cost is easier for everyone than a complicated weight table.
- Shipping updates by email cut support questions more than anything else.
- Promise carefully and deliver early. It is the cheapest marketing there is.
Shipping is not a technical detail, it is part of the product. A customer who gets the parcel when it was promised does not remember it. One who gets it three days later remembers it for a long time.
Three options are enough
- Pickup in person, if you have a place. It is the cheapest for both sides and plenty of people want it.
- A parcel point or collection location. Cheaper than home delivery and it suits most people.
- Home delivery. The most expensive, the most convenient, and plenty of people will pay for it if the choice is clear.
More options sounds good but they slow the decision down. Three clear ones beat seven vague ones.
Pricing
A flat shipping cost is easier for everyone. A detailed weight and zone table is more accurate, but it produces surprise numbers at the last step, which is the most common reason a cart gets abandoned.
Free shipping above a set amount works well and raises the average basket, as long as the threshold is realistic against what people usually buy.
What has to be on the site
- The price for each option, visible on the product page or in the cart.
- How long each of them takes, in days.
- The cut off time for an order to go out the same day.
- What happens if the parcel does not arrive or turns up damaged.
- Return terms and who pays for the return shipping.
The emails that cut support questions
Three emails handle almost every phone call about delivery: the order confirmation, a note when the parcel ships with a tracking number, and a note when it reaches the collection point.
This is automatic in every modern platform and an astonishing number of stores still do not have it. It is the cheapest service improvement available in ecommerce.
Icelandic conditions
Delivery outside the capital area takes longer and that is fine, as long as you say so. Winter road conditions can throw the schedule off, and then it is better to send one notification too many than one too few.
If you sell abroad, be clear about duties and taxes. An unexpected bill on delivery is the worst experience a buyer can have.
Frequently asked questions
Should I offer free shipping on everything?
Only if your margin can carry it. Free shipping above a set amount is usually the better answer and it raises the average basket.
What if a parcel goes missing?
Say on the site in advance what you will do. A store that ships a replacement right away and sorts it out with the carrier itself gets the customer back.
Do I need tracking numbers?
Yes, if you can get them. People follow their parcels and tracking cuts support questions considerably.
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ReadAbout the author
Kristján Gilbert is co-founder of galdrasmiðjan. He builds websites and online stores for Icelandic companies and writes here about what actually works: speed, search, visibility in AI answers and automation.
Questions about this article go to hallo@galdrasmidjan.is.
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