Customers are happier when they know what to expect, and adding a shipping policy to your Shopify store can help with that.
When done right, your shipping policy can be a very convincing sales tool. It can do this by both reaffirming your commitment to customer service and letting customers know what happens to their purchases after they click the “buy” button.
Clear and concise shipping rules are good for both parties. The policy will give your customers peace of mind that their purchases are safe, and if you get a shipping complaint, it will protect your business.
Setting up your shipping policy on Shopify is easy, and in this article, we’ll show you exactly what to do.
What is a policy on shipping?
In shipping policies, you spell out the rules, commitments, and procedures for sending items. Standard policies include return policies, exchange policies, and who is responsible for pricing.
The shipping policy doesn’t have to be on your eCommerce site, but it’s a good idea if you want to reassure customers and make sure eCommerce shipping goes smoothly.
What’s the big deal?
When they place an order online, most people have questions about shipping. When their order arrives, what options do they have besides the standard shipping that the online store offers? They want to know how much shipping will cost when their order comes.
If you have a clear shipping policy, it will be easier for you to answer these questions, and it will also make things better for your customers. In your shipping policy, it’s also a good idea to say if there are any restrictions on shipping. This will keep your customers from being upset.
What should a policy on shipping have?
How you make your shipping policy and tell people about it will depend a lot on how your business works and how your supply chain works. The goal is to be open and honest.
Because of unexpected shipping delays and rising costs, it’s more important than ever to keep your shipping policies up to date:
Details about shipping are easy to get.
If you keep a link to your shipping policy in the footer of your website, you may also want to think about how to put important shipping information in the right place at the right time.
A Short and Straightforward Talk
On your shipping policy page, make it easy for customers to find the information they need. When you can, use clear subheadings, tables, bolded text, and links to learn more to make it easy to find your way around.
How long it takes to get orders ready
Your customers care a lot about how long it takes to ship. For this reason, it’s helpful to include the time it takes you to process an order as well as the time it takes you to package it up and give it to your carrier.
Processing times are important because they have a direct effect on how long it takes to deliver. Make sure they know about anything that could slow down the process, such as:
The store is closed on the weekends and on holidays.
Every day, orders must be filled by a certain time (after 6 p.m., for instance)
Options for shipping both domestically and internationally
Do you offer shipping options within the same country for certain regions? International shipping can be broken up into sections where you list the countries you ship to and how long it is expected to take to get there. If you offer different ways to ship, it’s easy to scan the information in a table.
For international shipping, you will have to think about costs, estimated shipping times, and more for all countries and regions that matter.
Please answer the following:
Where do you send packages?
Are there any other fees for shipping?
How long does it take to send a package to a customer’s country or region?
The price of shipping
Give the customer a breakdown of how much shipping will cost. As a customer incentive, you can tell people about your free shipping threshold in different places. The customer should also be told about any fees, like duties and taxes, that might come as a surprise.
Here are some examples:
Regular shipping (which takes 7 business days) is free. Rush shipping (which takes 3 business days) costs $25.
Next-day rush shipping costs $50.
Offer free shipping in a number of places on your site (customers love free shipping). Customers should know about any extra costs, like duties or taxes, so they aren’t surprised.
Fees and taxes for importing goods
Also, if you take orders from other countries, you’ll need to think about foreign sales taxes and import fees and decide if you’ll add them to the price of your products.
Answer the following:
Who will pay the shipping costs when they come?
How do you figure them out and add them to the prices in your store?
Returns, cancellations, and changes should be clear.
In addition to allowing returns, your dedicated return policy should explain how your company handles refunds, order changes, exchanges, and what to do if an order is lost or damaged.
If you don’t want to make a separate page for your return and refund policies, you can be clear and transparent on your shipping policies page.
Your page about returns and refunds and your shipping policy should have information like:
Requests for swaps, changes, and refunds are looked at.
The goods have to be in good shape.
Within the time limit after purchase or delivery, you can return or get a refund.
What do you do if you lose or damage an order?
Possible Breaks in Service
Orders may take longer to arrive because of things you can’t control. You can tell customers why it might take a little longer in your shipping policy.
Most businesses change their shipping policies every few months, especially when they add new shipping options or carriers, grow their fulfilment networks, or expect delays.
How to Add Shopify Shipping Policy
Step 1: Log in
You can use any browser to log in to your Shopify store with the email address and password you used to register.
Step 2: Click “Legal”
After logging in, at the bottom right of the settings page, click on Legal (in the bottom left of the settings page).
Step 3: Devise your legal policies
You can make store policies directly from a template if you already have one, or you can use the Legal option to do it. Make sure that the copy in the template fits with what your online shop stands for by customising and personalising it.
Also, the tool for editing content on this page has more tools for formatting that let you make your policies look however you want.
Step 4: Look over your rules and save them.
After making your policies, you should carefully look over them again to make sure they are correct and consistent. It’s a good idea to look over your shipping policy to see if there are any problems that could cause problems in the future.
After you’ve paid, click “Save” to add the store’s policies to your future store checkouts.
Shipping Policy Template
You can’t have one shipping policy that works for all situations. You can make your own with this as a model.
You shouldn’t use it just like that. You might want to cut, change, add to, or rearrange the sections below to fit the needs of your business.
Thank you for using [your brand] to ship! Here are the rules for shipping with us. Please read them carefully before you buy.
Time for processing and shipping
[Make sure they know the difference between shipping and processing and how long each will take. Tell them that there might be a delay in shipping.
We process orders within three business days after they are placed. Orders are not sent out or delivered on holidays or weekends.
If we have a lot of orders, we might have to hold your order for a few days. Please keep this in mind when you place your order. If there are any major shipping delays, you will be told by email or phone.
Costs and estimates for shipping in the U.S.
[There should be details like calculated vs. flat rate costs, more shipping options, etc.].
We are happy to offer free domestic shipping on orders of $50 or more. Standard shipping for free takes about seven business days, but there are times when it takes longer.
Where to Put the Shipping Policy
Even if you make a detailed shipping policy, your customers won’t use it if they can’t find it. Here are some good ways to link your store’s shipping policy to its website.
Easily seen on a website
It’s best to have a page on your website that talks about your shipping policies, both international and domestic. FAQs are a nice touch that make it easy for visitors to find answers to their questions about shipping.
Shopify also has shipping policy templates that you can use to make a shipping policy page that is clear and full of information.
You should link the page in the website’s footer to other important pages that need to be easy to find, like the privacy policy.
When you check out,
You can make it easier for your customers to find your shipping policy and frequently asked questions by linking them to each product page. Customers will be able to read and think about the shipping policy before they finish checking out.
Conclusion
At first, a shipping policy may seem like just another boring legal document that doesn’t have much to do with your business. Logistics and shipping are okay if you take them for what they are.
If you want to give your customers a better experience, you should also think about how you deal with shipping and delivery.
If you optimise your logistics, do better than your competitors, and go above and beyond what your customers expect, you can turn a boring shipping policy into a competitive advantage.
