As online shopping is gaining popularity, the importance of tracking your parcels is also going up correlatively. Tracking of consignments or parcels becomes imperative as it helps customers know when the delivery is expected to be made and where their consignment currently is.
Most of the companies in India engaged in online retailing have an integrated parcel tracking system. For example, Amazon goes further with its own logistics network. There, however, are some small companies that do not have an integrated system. They usually use third-party tracking apps to track the parcel’s actual locations once they leave the warehouse. There are a few such apps like track my couriers, after ship, e.t.c.
Once you book your parcel, you will get a unique shipment number from your carrier. You can now keep a tab on the actual movement of your consignment by using that shipment code as a reference.
What is a Tracking Number?
Every consignment or parcel bears a Tracking Number. Such a number is given to it when they are shipped/dispatched/sent. Many online shopping platforms inform you of this particular number through email, WhatsApp, or SMS. Such information is fed to you when the parcel is shipped to your address from the warehouse.
Importance of Tracking Systems in Online Shopping Businesses
Tracking the movement of consignments or parcels is a major step towards satisfying customers and also enhancing their loyalty to a particular company engaged in online business or logistics.
This satisfies customers as they know the exact position of their consignments and also the time that they will take to get it in their hands. This is a major step towards helping such companies enhance sales.
Why Online Businesses Need To Have A Tracking System?
1) It helps to identify the target buyers/ customers/ audience (online business owners know the eagerness of customers in having their consignment delivered).
2) Offering total transparency in the movement of consignments (thereby gaining customer’s confidence).
3) Engagement with customers (this is an ideal way to get the online business establishment to forge a direct contact/tie and relationship with buyers).
How Can It Be Improved?
The overall condition of online order placing, tracking and delivery information happens to be quite streamlined in India. However, there is a scope for further improvement in this. And if you are a new player in the online retail space, these tips are recommended.
Top 5 Tips To Improve Parcel Tracking Mechanism
1) Introduce more customer-friendly tools for order tracking.
2) Further simplification of the tracking system consuming far less time than the existing ones.
3) An easy-to-use interface and customization for simplicity that even layman can use.
4) Monitoring every stage of movement of consignments.
5) Avoid third-party tracking tools as they require the customer to leave your site. You need to aim to integrate the tracking system within your website. If you use third-party couriers like Professional couriers, DTDC, Delhivery, e.t.c, integrate their tracking modules directly.
6) Aim to provide more user-friendly tracking update messages. Some courier companies have cryptic status messages which are overtly technical and not very informative.
