If there’s one thing Shopify stores dread, it’s “Where is my order?” (WISMO) tickets. This is something that signals something has gone wrong with the customer’s order and can cause store owners to quickly react to figure out what went wrong. This means you’ll spend time contacting carriers, pulling up the order’s tracking information, and potentially dealing with refund requests.
After all, customers who don’t get their order are going to be unhappy and more likely to never order from you again, leave bad reviews, and are more likely to criticize your brand through word of mouth.
While brands may not view WISMO as a major issue, its effects on your business can add up. In this post, we’ll go over what WISMO is, how it hurts your brand, and how you can prevent WISMO in the first place to keep your customers happy.
What is WISMO?
WISMO stands for "Where Is My Order?" and is the question customers usually ask when their package takes longer to arrive than they expected.
Most of the time, customers will call, email, or visit your help center to get an answer. They may also reach out to your brand on social media like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter.
What causes WISMO tickets?
Most of the time, a customer will ask you a WISMO question if:
They don't know when the package is likely to arrive
They can't find out where their package is
Their package didn't arrive by the due date or never did
Even if a delivery delay isn't your fault, customers don't know the difference between your brand and problems with your supply chain caused by carriers or suppliers.
How WISMO tickets hurt your brand
WISMO tickets are a good sign in a way, because they show that people are so excited about your product that they can't wait to get it. But when that excitement turns into doubt or impatience, it can be bad for your brand in many ways:
More customer service costs
More than 30% of all ecommerce live chat conversations are about checking on orders. Just think about how much more your customer service team could do if they didn't have to deal with these tickets. Some brands can overcome this by automating replying to WISMO, but not every brand can afford to use automation tools. It’s better to do everything you can to prevent WISMO in the first place.
As the average number of tickets made each day grows, you could speed up your response and resolution times by a lot. This improves customer satisfaction and can help you achieve Amazon-like levels of customer satisfaction.
You lose customers
You can bet that for every customer who asks your customer service team about the status of their order, there are dozens more who don't have the time or energy to voice their frustrations.
They won't tell you with words; instead, they'll show you with their money. Data from Metapack's 2021 eCommerce Delivery Benchmark Report shows that after a bad experience with a brand, many customers don't want to try it again.
Keep in mind that your CAC (customer acquisition cost) goes up with every one-and-done shopper, and the average LTV (lifetime value) of a new customer goes down. Losing customers over a bad delivery tracking experience is a very expensive mistake.
The true cost of refunds
When a customer doesn't know if they'll get their order in time, they often take matters into their own hands:
Either by shopping at a brick-and-mortar store
Going to a competitor's store (gotta love that Amazon Prime 2-day shipping window)
Calling your customer service team to ask for a replacement or a refund.
Your brand’s reputation will suffer
What seems more likely? A customer praising your brand on social media or a customer disparaging your brand on social media? And some customers can get so unhappy that they’ll leave negative comments about your brand on your social media ads - leading to reduced ad performance.
Many studies have shown that customers are much more receptive to feedback from other customers than they are to your marketing campaigns. This is why one bad order tracking experience can have a big effect on your bottom line.
How to handle WISMO
It's clear that WISMO is bad for the bottom line of your brand. It's easy to avoid, though.
WISMO tickets can be avoided by giving customers shipping updates on your website, self-service options in your help center, and easy access to shipping and delivery information through your marketing channels.
If you want your brand to stand out for having great customer service, step two is to do more than just help make sure your customers don’t worry about their packages:
If there’s a problem, tell customers before they start to worry about where their order is.
If a shipment is stuck or there is a long wait for delivery, you can call the carrier on behalf of the customer.
You can pay for expedited shipping if the customer won't get their package in time for an event or other important date.
If a customer has a really bad experience, you can give them a full refund (they can still keep the order when it arrives) or credit toward a future purchase.
When it comes to handling last-mile delivery issues, brands that go the extra mile will leave their customers with a lasting (and good) impression. Even better, you could send proactive messages about the status of an order, its shipping, and its delivery.
In every situation, the best way to keep customers happy and get them to come back is to tell them what they need to know before they ask. WISMO doesn't stand a chance when you help people in a pushy way.
Branded tracking pages: the best way to prevent WISMO
A branded tracking page is exactly what it sounds like - it’s a tracking page customers can check to see where their order is. Most brands send customers tracking information with a link to a shipping carrier’s website.
So instead of sending customers to another company’s website, wouldn’t it be great if they could go to your website directly to see where their order is? And probably buy additional products while they’re on the site checking their order?
That’s the value of branded tracking pages. They’re a fantastic way to grow your brand during the post-purchase experience when customers are checking their order.
Tips for preventing WISMO
Here are some tips to keep in mind when trying to prevent WISMO.
Website banner: Place a homepage banner that notifies customers of upcoming delivery delays based on inventory levels or current events
Popup: Similar to the banner, use a pop-up that lets customers know about shipping updates
FAQs: Use your FAQs to let customers know about your shipping policies and order tracking options
Help Center: If you’re selling during the holidays, you can let customers know they should expect shipping delays.
Order confirmation email + SMS: Give customers an estimated date of delivery so they know when the package is coming.
Order shipped emails + SMS: Send emails and texts with the option to track the progress of packages as they are delivered.
Delivery updates: If a delivery is taking longer than expected to arrive, send a personalized message.
Delivery confirmation emails + SMS: Send a message as soon as a package arrives. And use this as an opportunity to link to your branded tracking page so customers can see the delivery confirmation (and see additional products they could buy).
How Malomo prevents WISMO
Malomo is the leader in branded order tracking for Shopify stores. Here’s why hundreds of Shopify stores use Malomo to grow their business.
Real-time shipping analytics
Malomo provides comprehensive shipment analytics, such as courier analytics, tracking page analytics, upsells, and more.
Customized branded tracking pages
By creating your own tracking page, you raise brand recognition. Your customer will see all of the tracking information as well as the contents of the shipment. It's also an opportunity for your clients to visit your social media pages and continue shopping at your store.
Use product recommendations to improve repeat purchases
Malomo offers personalized product recommendations on your tracking page to improve the product discovery process. The user experience is enhanced by the ease of use and the availability of more (and appropriate) options.
To learn how Malomo prevents WISMO tickets and grows your store, schedule a demo with our team or start your free trial today!
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