AliExpress provides efficient supplier solutions to dropshipping businesses. However, there is a feature of AliExpress that the dropshipping entrepreneurs, especially the newcomers, find off-putting. It is the shipping time products at AliExpress usually take.
At AliExpress, shipping time varies a lot. It roughly ranges from 15-45 days but can stretch up to 60 days in some cases.
Indeed, the population of customers is not known for their patience. Most of the customers prefer buying offline or from another store if your delivery period is too long.
Although, at AliExpress, shipping time is something you don’t have to worry about.
In this article, we will discuss why.
1. Hot Items Are Worth The Wait
It all comes down to the product you’ve chosen to sell in your dropshipping business.
If your product is popular among your customers and they value it, they wouldn’t mind waiting for a little. This works exceptionally well if the product you sell is unusual, and your customers can’t find it somewhere else easily.
Therefore, if you’ve made a smart choice about your product, its shipping time cannot hurt your bus dropshipping business.
2. Your Products Are Not Life-Critical
The whole idea of dropshipping business is based on selling products people buy on impulsive. No dropshipping store sells essential products like medicines or medical equipment.
With the right marketing strategy, you place your product in front of your target audience in a manner they cannot resist. If your strategies are right, your customers would want your product enough to wait. And since they don’t have a pressing need for it, they can afford to as well.
3. Be Clear And Transparent About The Shipping Time
In all cases, it’s best that you put forward a disclaimer of your shipping time along with your product. While mentioning the shipping time, keep in mind all the working and non-working days, and throw in at least three extra days to be safe.
Your customers should have a clear idea of when the product will reach them from the beginning. Give them honesty and trust that they will choose you.
Also, you can provide your customers with the tracking ID to offer them more transparency in the process. This will make them trust you enough to shop with you again.
4. ePacket: A Faster Shipping Alternative
Not all customers can tolerate a longer shipping time. For some, extended shipping time can be a dealbreaker.
Would you want to lose customers because of the cheaper delivery service?
ePacket is a faster shipping alternative for your product. It doesn’t charge an unreasonably high fee, so both your customer and you are safe. Also, although it doesn’t cover every corner of the world, ePacket allows much faster shipping from AliExpress. It’s win-for-all.
5. Your Customer Support Will Save The Day
Dropshipping businesses rely more on customer support than other e-commerce businesses or stores. This is because more customers tend to get frustrated with waiting for long periods for their products and end up contacting customer support.
Your customer support should be extremely calm while handling customers. They should not just ask but convince them that their product will reach them soon, and in case of an error, you will send them another shipment or offer a complete refund.
However, to avoid such circumstances, your customer support can take these measures:
- When you send the customer an order confirmation mail, make sure you mention the shipping time again and highlight. Some customers tend to overlook shipping time while making the purchase. Give them another opportunity to find out when their product will reach them.
- Keep them updated throughout the process by sending them emails notifying the dispatch and shipping progress of their product.
- State the refund terms most carefully. If you don’t refund the shipping charges, or have any such conditions, mention it on your website and product page to avoid any later dispute.
To Sum Up
The extended shipping time of the dropshipping businesses is a weakness they can identify and find ways to tackle. Choose a valuable product, be honest about the shipping time from the start, and provide your customers with efficient customer support, and they won’t mind waiting to receive the product.
