Friction at the Check Out
The Hidden Conversion Killers
Most abandoned carts aren’t caused by the product or the price…
They’re caused by logistics friction points customers feel immediately but brands often overlook.
Our blog series "Friction at the Check Out' aims to show ecommerce business owners where logistics is hurting their sales and how to help. Often we are looking at our ads, the product costs, ROAS, CRO and other digital metrics to understand our sales (or lack of). Frequently the answers sit outside of the storefront and within the logistics operations. We are going to dive into 12 logistics issues and offer solutions to solve them.
Here are the first 3:
1️⃣ Slow Despatch Times
If your warehouse takes 24–72 hours just to start an order, customers lose confidence.
Fast despatch creates certainty — slow despatch creates doubt.
Solution: put in place an agreed order cut off time with your internal team or with your 3PL (that should be a standard offering). At Fulfilment Plus all orders received into our system by 2PM will be picked and despatched the same day.
2️⃣ Long or Vague Delivery Timeframes
“3–10 business days” is basically an admission you don’t know. Clear, reliable timeframes convert. Broad ranges scare people off.
Solution: understand what delivery windows your carrier is offering, all the major courier companies in NZ give you a defined time frame, which you should pass on to your customers. We have agreements with our couriers for next day delivery in the North Island and 3 days into the South Island from our Auckland Fulfilment Centre.
3️⃣ High or Surprise Shipping Costs
Nothing triggers an abandoned cart faster than a surprise courier fee.
If costs aren’t displayed early — or if they feel inflated — customers feel like they’re being stung at the last second. Transparent, optimised, and predictable shipping costs are essential for keeping customers in the checkout.
Solution: Make your shipping costs obvious, include them on your product page, include them in the cart before its confirmed. Fulfilment Plus has options to integrate shipping costs directly into your ecom storefront, this can help with accurate and visible costings.
Logistics = conversions. And this is just the beginning.
Part 2 coming next.