What is shipment?
Product shipping is the process by which a product is transported from a storage or production location to a destination location, usually a customer or point of sale. Shipping typically includes order preparation, product packaging, transportation document preparation, transportation planning, and delivery tracking.
It is imperative to ensure that the shipment of a product is well planned and organised in order to ensure that the product arrives on time and in good condition to the end customer, this allows full customer satisfaction and thus avoid returning the product as much as possible.
How to ensure the shipping of an order?
Order preparation
Before shipping the order, you must ensure that it is prepared. Indeed, it is necessary to check that the requested products are included in the preparation of the order and that the delivery information is correct.
Suitable packaging
Depending on the characteristics of the product ordered, it is appropriate to ensure its protection. For this, there are different packaging, made of different materials suitable to protect and secure the product (cardboard box, bubble wrap, adhesive strips, foam, etc.).
Transport documents
Once the packaging is complete, you must prepare the documents relating to transport such as the delivery note and the invoice which will facilitate the tracking of the shipment and delivery.
Transport planning
In general, the chosen mode of transport is the most efficient in terms of delivery time, cost and quality of service.
There are several possible means of transport to ensure the shipment of a product. Firstly, road transport: this is most common for short-term and moderate-distance shipments, while rail and sea transport are often used for long-distance shipments or for large volumes of goods. With the development of new technologies, there is also the possibility of ensuring certain deliveries with drones.
Shipment tracking
Shipping tracking is a request made by many customers. This tracking allows both the company and the customer to track the location and status of the order to accurately predict the day of delivery to the customer.
Communicate
By ensuring regular communication with the recipient, the company ensures that the customer is aware of the delivery and should prepare for an imminent receipt. This communication also makes it possible to notify them in the event of a modification to the shipment (example: late).
Compliance with standards
It is necessary to ensure that the shipment complies with all established standards, particularly in terms of sanitary and phytosanitary matters. They are very strict, especially those concerning foodstuffs. Indeed, the product ordered by the customer should not be no longer consumable and potentially dangerous for their health.
Problems linked to shipment
Wrong delivery address
If the delivery address provided by the customer is incorrect or incomplete, delivery may be compromised and the package may not reach its destination. It will therefore be returned to the sender.
Transportation problems
Delivery delays, damage, loss and theft of packages may occur when an order is shipped.
Inventory problems
If an ordered product is actually out of stock, delays in shipping are to be expected, or even the complete cancellation of the order because the company has not planned to restock the product in question.
Preparation errors
In some cases, an error may occur in the customer’s order. The risk being that the product shipped does not correspond to what the customer ordered. The package is therefore at high risk of being returned and the dissatisfied customer may go to other retailers.
Customs issues
Some products shipped to another country may be blocked at customs because they do not comply with the regulations in force in the country of shipment. The customer may also pay a certain amount to collect their order.