2020 was a year of uncertainty, changes, and transformation. The pandemic affected the world as a whole. Many industries failed to cope with the changes, while others emerged as rising stars. But one industry succeeded beyond expectations, the eCommerce industry.

It witnessed growth in terms of revenue generation as well as demand.

When we talk about eCommerce, we can't miss on the delivery. A big portion of the success of an eCommerce industry depends on the delivery process. If you've a strong delivery strategy, you will stay ahead of the curve.

So to handle this, e-retailers have implemented different methods - integrating Magento 2 Delivery Date extension, providing 3rd party logistics, and more.

If you're too in the online business, here are the delivery trends you must look for in 2021.

Same Day & Next Day Delivery
After Amazon's implementation, same-day + next-day delivery has become a new trend. People now buy online with the expectation to receive the order within 24 hours or a maximum of 48 hours of order placement.

To fulfill this like eCommerce giants, small businesses are looking for urban warehouses. Because the closer the fulfillment will be, the less it would take them to deliver. Small warehouses can help them deliver faster across the city or on the outskirts. This trend will also help businesses save on the shipping charges as the distance between fulfillment center and delivery location will decrease.

Real-Time Tracking
Tracking the product's location is important for e-stores, but demand for real-time tracking has increased due to the pandemic. Customers now want to know about the product's location in real-time. The more accurate the location is, the better would be the customer experience. And so, in the near future, we would see that it's necessary for eCommerce businesses to provide last-minute tracking. It won't be an option anymore.

Thanks to a real-time tracking feature, we would see demand in the delivery extensions.

Zero-Contact Delivery
The fear of a pandemic has made people cautious of every order and person they meet. When a delivery arrives, most of them try to avoid contact with the delivery person or the paper/device they hand out for verification. They prefer a contactless delivery. Considering this, many big giants have adopted contactless delivery. They provide customers with an option as "contactless delivery".

As for small businesses, they shall be following the trend sooner. Those who can't implement this allow customers to add their delivery instructions, where customers can mention contactless delivery.

Control Over Deliveries
It often happens that a parcel is to arrive, but a customer is not available to receive it. Or sometimes, they have to go out at the time of delivery. In that case, customers often have to call the delivery person and cancel the order. However, to reduce that, we would now see businesses giving control to the customers. They would allow them to pick a suitable delivery date and time. They would also give customers the freedom to change the data if required. Customers can also add-in their preferences.

Tip: If you're looking for a solution that can help you keep your customers engaged, check out the Magento 2 extension.

Order Processing Time
As an admin, you need to provide customers with a delivery date and order processing time. If you don't and your customers are not aware of the time, they may cancel the order or even abandon the cart.

So, in 2021, we would see businesses using extensions like Magento 2 Delivery Date to configure their order processing and delivery time. The extension will help them provide their customers with an estimated delivery time.

In addition to these trends, we will see 3rd party logistics becoming popular, and also the other innovative strategies on the way.

So, if you've not revamped your delivery process yet, do it now! Upgrade it with the latest trends. Bring in a Magento 2 Delivery Date extension. And don't forget to share your views in the comments.

https://www.appjetty.com/magento2-delivery-date-scheduler.htm

Author's Bio: 

Maulik Shah is the founder and CEO of AppJetty, a fast growing app and extension store for various technologies. He writes about multiple aspects of ecommerce technology and is enthusiastic about making online business management easy