Articles: e-commerce

In an online shop the whole conversation happens through a screen, right up to the moment a courier leaves a parcel at the door. That is the first chance to make an impression with something you can hold. The articles here show how to prepare that moment without a large budget.

What to put in the parcel

Inserts work because they reach somebody who has just bought from you and is in a good mood.

• A short thank you - a few lines, ideally signed, with no offer in the same paragraph.
• An idea for next time - a coupon or a code with a clear end date.
• Instructions or a tip - how to use the product, how to store it, what to do if something goes wrong.
• A request for a review - one sentence and an address, not a long survey.
• A small extra - a sticker, an illustrated card or a sample, if it suits what you sell.

Shipping box against gift box

These are two different things and it helps not to mix them up. A shipping box mainly has to deliver the contents intact, so strength, a sensible size and padding matter. A gift box has to make an impression while it is opened, so looks, the order in which things appear and whether it closes again all count. Sometimes one hides the other: a sturdy outer carton with a box inside that somebody actually wants to keep. When planning, run through the whole thing yourself and open your own parcel the way a customer would.

If you are only starting on this part of your shop, begin with the text on inserts, since they are the easiest to introduce, then read the article on the opening experience.