In today’s economic climate, visibility of your logistics data is more important than ever. On the one hand, carrier rates are rising. On the other, skyrocketing customer expectations for quick and convenient delivery experiences are putting immense pressure on brands–and generating more complex logistics challenges. And all this is happening while global supply chain disruptions are becoming an increasingly frequent and frustrating issue for brands.

But even as the pandemic boom slows down, e-commerce is not going anywhere. Instead, the market could increase from $3.3 trillion today to $5.4 trillion by 2026. Success in this market requires innovative strategies to address incoming challenges. 

Managing your logistics partners with data is an essential element of a great e-commerce strategy. A strong handle on your data will help you meet customers' expectations, manage your logistics SLAs, and save costs with stronger leverage in negotiations. 

Learn how you can make the most of your tracking data in our latest webinar.

Choose the best carriers for your operations 

By leveraging your tracking data, you can decide quickly on the carriers that are most effective for your brand. Logistics are becoming increasingly complicated as brands expand their offerings and reach new territories to meet increasing consumer demands. And all of it must be done with shorter delivery times and more convenient pick-up options. 

That makes analyzing your logistics data extremely important. Carrier performances, for instance, might differ across regions. Take a closer look at your data to see which routes have the longest delays and potential problems in specific regions (for instance damaged parcels or wrong addresses) and make commitments to the right carriers for the right regions. 

When onboarding new carriers, sending out test shipments and scrutinizing the results can also be a great way to understand the basic service level offered to your customers. This approach can help you find the carrier with the best performance your brand needs. 

An important aspect that is often overlooked by brands is customers’ NPS scores and ratings. Layering logistics rating data with carrier performance data enables you to uncover gaps–which carriers might not report on–that create unsatisfactory delivery experiences for customers. 

For instance, carriers might carelessly leave parcels in places that are hard for customers to reach. These might be marked as successful deliveries on carrier data even though customers are left frustrated. Paying attention to your customers’ ratings can help you flag recurring delivery issues and resolve them to improve customer experiences.

Own your logistics data - Negotiate better contracts with carriers

First-party logistics data gives e-commerce merchants significant leverage when renegotiating rates and service levels with carriers. To make meaningful analyses, you’ll need access to quality data that includes aggregated and standardized logistics events across languages, time zones, and carrier event formats. With an advanced delivery experience platform, you can even create customized reports at a click, putting important information right into the hands of your problem-solvers. 

With standardized insights on your logistics, you can substantiate claims of unmet agreements and delivery issues by pointing out specific occurrences and complications. It also allows you to compare carriers using end-to-end global data to see how your carriers match up against other providers. 

A solid understanding of your data can be leveraged to secure rates and services that match your actual needs and experiences. This can drive substantial cost savings for your brand and service improvements for your customers. 

Proactively reach out to carriers to resolve delivery issues

Reviewing carrier historical data is important. But the key to successfully managing their performance is responding to data insights in real-time. This critical step can help facilitate troubleshooting processes, accelerate resolutions, and empower your teams to get a handle on deliveries before your customers start feeling frustrated. 

Data insights can help your teams keep an eye on delayed and damaged shipments. These issues can be automatically flagged in your system so your internal teams can get into contact with carriers, understand what complications have arisen, and nudge them to ensure packages stay on track.

Being aware of potential delays can also allow you to inform customers of issues early and manage their expectations. By responding quickly and keeping your customers in the loop, you can build loyalty and trust with end consumers by providing relevant and timely communication that 82% of consumers expect.

Creating these exceptional brand experiences is central to keeping you ahead of the competition. 

Driving cost savings and performance improvements with data

Knowing how to leverage tracking data is central to running smooth and efficient e-commerce operations. Not only can it ensure that day-to-day operations run smoothly and customers remain satisfied, but it also allows you to make better decisions and secure important cost savings for your brand. In an age of rising logistics costs and uncertainty, it can give you a valuable edge over your competitors.

Learn how Parcel Perform can help you unlock your data’s potential here.