Use this holiday shipping message strategy to keep your customers in the loop and happy over the busy holiday season.
Shopping during the holidays is either the best part of the season…or the worst. It all depends on one thing: whether or not you get your orders on time.
Nothing frustrates customers more than getting an order late or, worse, not knowing if it’s going to show up at all.
If you’re the one shipping out holiday orders, it pays to communicate clearly and honestly with your buyersーeven if you’ve got bad news to share.
Failing to do so can drive customers away and damage your brand long-term.
Accurate shipping deadlines are the backbone of great customer communication during the holidays. Let your customers know exactly when to expect their orders and give consistent updates if something changes.
We’ll cover why, how, and when to send these holiday shipping messages out and give you some helpful examples to work from.
If your business runs on quality customer service, setting expectationsーand meeting themー is essential. Failing to do so can have a negative impact on your reputation.
68% of consumers say they would pay more for products or services from a brand with great customer service.
That’s a number you can’t afford to miss out on. Customer service becomes even more important over the busy holiday season. That goes double for this year, with all the supply chain issues businesses face.
No one wants to deal with a bunch of angry “Where’s my order?” messages during the most hectic season of the year.
All this to say, you’ll need to keep the deadlines on your website and holiday marketing channels up to date.
Setting clear expectations for your holiday shipping is simple. All it takes is three easy steps over the whole holiday season. Let’s dive in:
This can be done ahead of time as you plan your holiday rush.
Look at where you mention your shipping methods and deadlines on your website. Make sure you update those spots to reflect the upcoming busy season.
Most ecommerce sites feature their shipping options (including both types and timelines) on product pages or on the shipping section of their checkout process.
You can use a simple table like this one:
This little graph gives clear deadlines for those who want to receive their order by Christmas Eve. It also helps customers choose the best shipping option for their schedule.
Best practice here is to note ahead of time that the new deadlines are specifically for the holiday season. This will keep customers from confusing your holiday shipping times with regular shipping times.
As the holiday season gets closer, you should add a notice about shipping deadlines somewhere your customers can’t miss.
Even if you update your shipping timelines weeks ahead of schedule on your online store, you still need to call attention to the new times as your customers move through your website.
That may mean adding a note to your checkout flow. You could also use a popup triggered when someone adds an item to the cart or starts checkout. A homepage banner with your shipping announcement is another good idea.
Here’s how Target does it:
Their shipping announcement is festive, clear, and most importantly, almost impossible to miss.
There’s one last piece of communicating new holiday shipping deadlines to your customers.
You’ll need to send out proactive notifications through text or email to let customers know the status of their order.
Send these notifications out when customers place orders and anytime shipping delays happen.
You can also send information on your holiday shipping deadlines as part of your regular marketing cadence. Here’s an example text message:
Don’t just warn your customers about upcoming deadlines. Take the opportunity to promote your products and give them an extra incentive to get their order in.
Customers keep coming back to brands they trust. Trust is built through accurate, constant communication.
If you do your best to be clear about shipping deadlinesーespecially during a busy season like the holidaysーyou’ll stand out among other brands that fall short on that point.
Need an easy way to communicate holiday shipping messages to your customers? Try SimpleTexting totally free for 14 days.
Lily is a content marketing specialist at SimpleTexting. She specializes in making helpful, entertaining video content and writing blogs that help businesses take advantage of all that texting has to offer. When she’s not writing or making TikToks, you can find Lily at roller derby practice or in a yoga studio in the Seattle area.
More Posts from Lily NortonWant to keep your health and fitness clients motivated all year? Follow these tips to retain clients throughout 2023.
ReadWondering how to build an email list that stays engaged and tuned in to your messages? Check out these proven tips.
Read
Start a text marketing campaign or have a 1-on-1 conversation today. It's risk free. Sign up for a free 14-day trial today to see SimpleTexting in action.
No credit card required