Why WhatsApp Business Holds the Key to Reducing E-commerce RTO
27 February 2024
The intricacy of the e-commerce logistics process, which goes far beyond just picking, packing, and shipping, means conducting any streamlining optimisation is easier said than done. Moreover, most people mistakenly believe that an e-commerce seller’s job ends with shipping a product when, in reality, that is only the beginning.
Once a package leaves the fulfilment centre, numerous possibilities have to be considered, such as whether it is received by the intended recipient, reaches the right destination, and so on. More importantly, sellers must always prepare for the potential that each order may result in an RTO (Return to Origin), doubling their shipping costs.
Why RTO Matters in E-commerce
RTO in e-commerce refers to the non-deliverability of a package and its return to the seller, placing a significant cost burden on the latter, who has to bear both the initial shipping costs and reverse logistic charges. In addition, much effort goes into uncovering why products get returned, fixing any potential issues, and repacking the item. Then, the product gets sold to a new customer, and the doubts of another RTO take hold once more.
How WhatsApp Business Platform Helps Reduce RTO%
Although eliminating RTO from any e-commerce business is nearly impossible, online sellers can work on reducing it, which is one of the many things that the WhatsApp Business Platform can help with.
WhatsApp is one of the most popular conversational apps to date, and the WhatsApp Business Platform has enabled millions of businesses to better connect with their audience. From simplifying the process of capturing leads to providing an excellent after-sales experience, e-commerce stores stand to benefit a lot from working with a WhatsApp Business Solution Partner to leverage the many powerful features of the WhatsApp Business Platform.
And when it comes to RTO%, here are some ways the WhatsApp Business Platform empowers e-commerce stores to mitigate theirs.
1. Share proper product descriptions
The WhatsApp Business Platform supports a vast range of multimedia, allowing online sellers to provide all the images, videos, and spec sheets a customer may want regarding a certain product. Providing correct information through clear images and accurate product descriptions prevents two common reasons for RTOs, namely delivering the wrong product and disparity in the product advertised and the one received by the customer.
By confirming which item a customer wishes to purchase, sellers are far less likely to send the wrong item or disappoint the customer when they receive a product that does not match what they saw on the website. Both are enough to push buyers to return their purchases to the seller.
2. Offer consistent tracking
Sending timely tracking updates is now indispensable to ensuring customer satisfaction as it significantly reduces customer anxiety while their order is on its way. WhatsApp’s higher read rate and usage habits among customers mean it trumps other communication channels when it comes to delivering these updates.
Thus, consider leveraging the WhatsApp Business Platform’s automation features to automatically send a personalised message to your customers regarding the progress of their shipment the moment you receive the latest update from your logistics provider. In this way, shoppers can always stay on top of where their items are, reducing the odds of cancellations and reverse shipping costs.
3. Give due importance to customer preferences
Taking the customer’s preference about their item’s delivery schedule into consideration better ensures a successful delivery and builds trust between buyers and sellers. WhatsApp’s real-time messaging allows businesses to notify and finalise delivery slots and timing with their customers, which makes a big difference in the customer journey and reduces the risk of RTO through failed delivery.
4. Provide secure modes of payment
Cash on delivery transactions generally have a high RTO%. Removing this option and providing a wide range of secure online payment options like debit or credit cards, digital wallets, net banking, and so on can reduce the chances of RTO and set a base for future loyal customers. The WhatsApp Business Platform can facilitate sending direct, secure payment links, and creating these URLs for each transaction also assures customers of the safety of their online transactions and that they won’t fall victim to phishing and fraud.
Conclusion
Managing e-commerce logistics is no walk in the park. However, by partnering with the right logistics provider and making some changes within the business, such as adopting the WhatsApp Business Platform, online retailers can significantly reduce RTO% and streamline their customer experience.
Moobicast can help you get started with leveraging WhatsApp Business to deal with RTOs with our proven WhatsApp Business Solutions, which are trusted by big and small organisations alike. As Singapore’s trusted WhatsApp Business Platform Provider, we can help you secure your API access in record time so you can immediately implement the tips above and reduce your store’s RTO% without delay.
Besides WhatsApp, our trusted messaging products and services cover many other aspects that let you connect with your audience and create progress for your business. So, to learn more about our email marketing solutions, bulk SMS marketing, SIM hosting, and other solutions, don’t hesitate to contact us today.