8 Great Tips for Online Shops Selling Internationally During COVID-19
As COVID-19 spreads around the world, employees in more and more companies are working from home. Areas are quarantined, many shops remain closed. People are currently changing their everyday lives, but not their consumer habits. The difficulties associated with traditional retail together with unprecedented digital and mobile media usage offer enormous opportunities for online shops.
However, during this challenging period, especially for businesses or shops selling internationally, customers can be even more anxious about the status of their orders. Has the order been received? Is the order handed over to a delivery service? Will it be delivered within the usual delivery times?
“Online buyers who ask these questions and do not get a clear answer will postpone their purchase or place their order with another online shop,” said Herbert Vongpusanachai, Managing Director for Thailand and Head of Indochina. “COVID-19 brings uncertainty and confusion. Make sure you explain to your customers how you will continue to provide them with the service they need in these challenging times.
For Thailand, the popular cross-border products that have been mostly delivered during the COVID-10 outbreak are medical equipment, beauty and personal care product, medicine and food supplement, dried food and processed fruit, and electronic devices and accessories, all of them are necessary items for everyday lives including important documents that need to be delivered to the recipient in overseas.
For Thailand during the Covid-19 situation Products that are popular in exporting to various countries. All over the world Medical equipment Body care products Pharmaceutical and dietary supplements, dried food, processed fruit and electronics Which is necessary for the lives of people Including important documents that need to be sent to the recipient in a foreign country.
DHL Express has put together 8 top tips for your online shop to help you gain your customers' trust in the customer journey and expand your e-commerce business into new countries and regions.
1. Homepage
Make sure it is clear that you accept, process and send orders despite COVID-19 on the homepage. Many online shops have an info bar for special marketing messages, e.g. 'Free shipping from Baht 2,000', Customer service from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.', '90 day right of return'.
Use this bar for any communication around COVID-19 by adding copy along the lines to show how you care your customers i.e. 'We are still there for you!', 'Shipping despite COVID-19' or 'Safe handling with protective cloth masks and gloves'.
If your online shop does not have a banner like that, use the footer to communicate your offer. If you want to make the most of the communication, you can choose to use an image in the header or a slider image on the homepage.
2. Product details page
Often, visitors land straight on a category page or a product detail page. Again, explain that orders are processed as usual. Try copy on the product image, or an extra message near the buy button. Use the area where you communicate the delivery time effectively by adding a short clarification like 'Normal delivery despite COVID-19'.
3. Shopping cart - shipping options
Use the opportunity to communicate in the shopping cart that you are working with a shipping partner who delivers promptly and in permitted areas. If your shipping partner expects delays, please also report them honestly.
Many shipping partners communicate the current delivery times and delivery areas on their homepage or via eDM. Pay attention to this information and update it in your online shop.
4. Meta Description
A Google search often precedes a visit to your online shop. If you adjust your meta description now, online customers can already see that the online shop can deliver during their initial search. This can be crucial for generating traffic in the online shop, since the search result already answers the question that your customer most likely has. For example, add 'Shipping despite COVID-19' to your meta description.
5. FAQ
You can easily find out what questions your customers have about COVID-19 by looking at their emails and analyzing calls to customer support. Record the frequently asked questions and formulate an answer, which you collect on an FAQ page. Link any communication you make in your online shop regarding COVID-19 (banner, info bar, shopping cart, etc.) to this FAQ page.
6. Contact details (or Call Center)
Make sure that your customers can reach your shop via phone and that your customer service messages are up to date and matches what you are communicating in your online shop. Avoid confusion with contradictory statements. This damages trust - the opposite of what you want to do!
7. eDM or E-Newsletter
As soon as the online shop and call center are up to date, an eDM or e-newsletter is a good way to let your existing customers know what’s happening. For example, refer to the FAQs, show pictures of how warehouse staff work, mention testimonials from customers who enjoyed good service, share an evaluation of your current runtime or successful delivery rate, etc.
8. Social media
Whether via Instagram with a picture from the warehouse, via Facebook with a video from the call center answering customer questions, or via LinkedIn, where you as the managing director highlight the teamwork and emphasize customer satisfaction: being visible creates trust - exactly the right thing for your customers at this time!
Use these 8 valuable tips from DHL Express. They can be a successful strategy if you want to strengthen existing customer relationships, build new ones and make a quick return to business as usual after the restrictions.
DHL Express provides international door-to-door express pick-up and delivery services for parcels and documents for business of all sizes. DHL Express is still operational during Covid-19 situations. To get the service quote or schedule a shipment pick-up, visit iExpressByDHL.com
