A great way to grow your automotive aftermarket business — or any business — is to deliver an exceptional customer experience. In fact, as Forbes notes, it may be the best way to expand your business. The article quotes a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) survey in which 73 percent of consumers said customer experience is a significant factor in their purchasing decisions. But, only 49 percent of those surveyed believe companies today provide a good customer experience.
In other words, if you aren’t meeting your customers’ expectations, you are surely losing business. One pivotal moment in the customer experience occurs when the recipient opens the package you shipped to them and inspects the contents. If that process doesn’t go well, you have a problem. Proper packaging of your automotive aftermarket parts is crucial to the start or continuation of a positive relationship.
“One of the pivotal moments in the customer experience occurs when the recipient opens the package you shipped to them and inspects the contents. If that process doesn’t go well, you have a problem.” TWEET THIS
What Careful Packaging Delivers
Proper packaging of automotive aftermarket parts creates some general goodwill. However, you may be wondering how, specifically, does it help your business? There are several ways, including:
- ✔ Fewer returns. Ensuring that your merchandise is adequately protected during shipping means less damage and fewer returns. And those two factors combine to help improve your bottom line, both by reducing product costs and the labor associated with processing returns or exchanges.
- ✔ Less theft. Sealing your shipping cartons with water-activated tape (WAT), which creates a secure, tamper-evident bond, helps reduce theft and the associated expense.
- ✔ Positive reviews. People tend to give a lot of weight to the experiences of others when it comes to selecting a company with which to do business. A handful of positive reviews on your website can be a contributing factor to many future sales.
- ✔ Increased brand awareness. WAT can be branded with your company name, logo, etc. When you seal your packages with branded WAT, everyone from the shipping company staff to neighbors who see the package on the recipient's front porch become more familiar with your company.
- ✔ Social media shares. Social media platforms have made it easy for one person to express their opinion to potentially millions of others around the world with just a few keystrokes. If what they share is their satisfaction with the parts they received, it can give your company a tremendous boost. If their post describes an unpleasant experience — potentially with a picture just to drive the point home — your sales may suffer.
- ✔ Repeat sales. It’s a business truism that the easiest person to sell to is the one that’s already a happy customer. When a neat, secure, beautifully branded package arrives with well-protected parts inside, you are already well on your way to repeat business.
Small Investment. Big Return.
It’s understandable that some companies say, “It’s the superior quality of our merchandise that matters. How it gets to the customer is unimportant.” Obviously, the first part of that statement is true. You have to sell an excellent product to succeed in business.
However, both personal experience and customer satisfaction surveys will tell you that the second part of the statement simply isn’t true. A customer’s perception at the moment they receive a package can affect their opinion of your company from that point forward. A small investment in time and effort regarding the packaging of your automotive aftermarket parts can deliver big long-term returns.
How can our water-activated tape, water-activated tape dispensers, and other products play a role in helping you impress your customers? We’re happy to tell you how our many satisfied clients are benefitting from them. Please contact us at your convenience.
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