Offer Amazon-like tracking experience for your shoppers using Clickpost and Blowhorn

Introduction

When it comes to the e-commerce industry, time is of the essence. This rings true on many levels. Ecommerce businesses need to constantly keep developing newer and better shipping strategies. Delivery mechanisms are consistently being improved and optimized. And customers are demanding faster delivery speeds. Over 100 million Indians now put their faith in online shopping, and this was a growing number long before the pandemic struck.

With the advent of options like Amazon prime which offered same-day and next-day delivery, e-commerce businesses and logistics companies had to up their game as well. Over the past decade, logistics companies like Blowhorn have been expanding and enhancing their services to meet these growing customer demands. Using cutting-edge technology and powerful partnerships, the logistics industry is on the cusp of a revolution that is taking order tracking and delivery to the next level.

Why is Order Tracking Important

Anyone that has taken a gander at online shopping (which is highly likely to include anyone reading this article) knows the most frustrating part of the experience is the wait. The excitement that is felt when the order is first placed is exorbitantly high and almost impossible to match. However, with a speedy delivery mechanism and an efficient tracking system, you can give customers a chance to relive that initial excitement. All you need to do is keep them updated every step of the way.

Using API integrations and AI-driven identification engines, you can give your customers real-time tracking updates every time a new delivery milestone is crossed. This not only serves as a fun reminder to customers but also eases any worries, stresses, or doubts they may have about the order. Reducing a customer’s anxiety can go a long way in promoting brand loyalty and improving the overall customer experience. This also reduces the likelihood of orders being canceled or returned and therefore keeps RTO numbers low. Using ClickPost and its Courier & Shipping API Integration with Blowhorn, you can go live with Blowhorn in 24 hours.

Another way that order tracking helps reduce losses and RTOs is through issue identification. Delivery exceptions like stuck shipments, delays and failed deliveries can not only be tracked but also monitored to determine the cause of each exception. Armed with this information, specific improvement initiatives can be made by you and your logistics partners to bring those numbers down as well.

What is ClickPost?

ClickPost is a logistics technology platform. This software works to provide a wide range of tech-enabled logistics solutions to growing e-commerce businesses. First and foremost, e-commerce businesses get access to a unified tracking page for all orders across multiple courier partners, like Blowhorn.

Through this dashboard, orders can be tracked based on standardized delivery milestones, like In-transit and OFD (Out-for-Delivery). Using ClickPostAI-driven recommendation engine, you can find the right courier partner for every order. This engine makes use of fixed metrics like order size and delivery destination, as well as business-specific metrics like RTO%, number of stuck shipments, etc. ClickPost also uses a well-defined NDR workflow to ensure failed deliveries turn into successful ones.

What is Blowhorn

Blowhorn is a logistics aggregator that has been providing courier services to e-commerce businesses since 2014. Since its inception it has grown immensely, catering to SMBs by offering pay-per-use options as well as larger enterprises. Blowhorn makes use of a state-of-the-art courier tracking system to optimize end-to-end logistics. It offers services like flexible transportation and microwarehousing, which further enable hyperlocal delivery services.

Blowhorn has the facilities to arrange a dedicated fleet of GPS-enabled vehicles, to combat any sudden increase in order volumes. In addition to hyperlocal and same-day delivery, Blowhorn also enables e-commerce businesses to offer customers on-demand delivery services. These speedy delivery services are made possible through route optimization. This courier company has contingency plans in place for any eventuality and prides itself on its ability to maximize order fulfillment.

Benefits of Using ClickPost and Blowhorn

Independently, ClickPost and Blowhorn serve different though related purposes. While Blowhorn handles warehousing and delivery of orders, ClickPost helps with management and tracking. Working together, this logistics company and logistics software make a formidable team.

Most of the functions available through ClickPost are enabled by the high-tech system maintained by Blowhorn. This collaboration exists to ensure e-commerce businesses are giving their customers the very best delivery experience available on the market. Here are some of the core benefits of this super-logistics cross-over.

1. Map each order's complete journey

Once an order has been placed, that order needs to prepare itself for an adventure. Each order goes on a unique journey (though not necessarily the same one as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson did). This journey has numerous steps, starting with the item being stocked in the inventory of its respective warehouse. The order has to be created and prepared for pickup.

Once picked up, it is transported to the next storage hub(s). From the last in-transit storage hub, it makes its way to the customer. For return orders, a new reverse journey comes into the picture. For both forward and reverse logistics, mapping out the entire journey each order follows can be immensely beneficial. Tracking orders is equal to tracking information in this case.

2. Stay on top of Stuck Shipments

Every journey has its obstacles to cross and challenges to overcome. In the case of an order’s journey, these obstacles typically come in the form of delivery exceptions like delayed deliveries, failed delivery attempts, and stuck shipments.

Stuck shipments can be extremely problematic because when a shipment gets stuck, the likelihood of it becoming a delayed or failed delivery becomes much higher. That is unless the stuck shipments are dealt with quickly and efficiently. Keeping a firm eye on stuck shipments lets you address them before there are any potential escalations, like a cancellation or the shipment getting lost.

3. Reduce RTO%

Reducing RTO% is a top priority for every e-commerce business, without any exceptions. When an order is unable to be successfully delivered to the final destination of the customer, it is marked as an RTO. This order must then begin the journey to Return-to-Origin (RTO).

These orders stand as major losses for any e-commerce business. That’s why it’s important to address the different causes for RTOs independently. Stuck shipment is one such example. An efficient NDR workflow also actively reduces RTOs. Creating an overall better shopping and delivery experience for customers goes a long way.

Final Conclusion

Every e-commerce business needs to be at the top of its game at any given point in time. There are two major functions that ensure the success of any E-commerce business. One is maximizing order fulfillment. The second is optimizing the delivery experience. While players like Amazon dominated these two areas of functionality for many years, other e-commerce businesses are now quickly catching up, and in some cases soaring ahead. Third-party logistics tools like Blowhorn and ClickPost have emerged to bring the e-commerce experience to the edge of evolution.

Courier & Shipping API Integration with Blowhorn