An important question related to AliExpress shipping time, How long does it take for AliExpress to deliver bothering you too much. Well, we have covered all that it takes to reduce the Aliexpress shipping time to the minimum possible.
It includes actual AliExpress shipping time, how to reduce it to the minimum, the best way to inform customers about long shipping time, managing delay when it is unavoidable, the best way to keep angry customers calm, and an important checklist for avoiding the shipping delay.
Let’s get started with,
- How Long Does It Take for AliExpress to Deliver (The Actual AliExpress Shipping Time)
- How to Reduce AliExpress Shipping Time to The Minimum
- The Correct Way to Inform (Keep Calm) Customers about Long Shipping Time
- How to Manage Very Long AliExpress Shipping Time – If It’s Unavoidable
- How to Handle Angry Customers due to Shipping Delay
- AliExpress Shipping Time – The Checklist for Avoiding Shipping Delays
Below Stats Justifies that Long Shipping Time is a Big No
41% of customers are ready to pay more for same-day delivery
98% customers think timely delivery has a key role in strengthening brand loyalty.
An important question is
How Long Does It Take for AliExpress to Deliver (The Actual AliExpress Shipping Time)
The actual time depends on shipping, delivery address (specifically country), and most importantly time of the year.
Shipping time – Private courier tends to take significantly less time but need to pay more for customs
- Private Courier – 5-10 days
- Ordinary Shipping (without tracking details): 20-60 days
- Certified Shipments (with tracking details): 20-54 days
Destination Country – Package takes less time to reach a country with excellent state postal service. The agreement between AliExpress and courier partners in destination countries influences shipping time to a great extent.
Time of Year – Mostly, products are shipped from China, during Chinese New Year, 11.11, and other Chinese festivals tonnes of packages are to be delivered. More order puts extra pressure on available resources. As a result, products shipped during the festive season will have some delay.
Keep Shipping delay as minimum as possible.
How to Reduce AliExpress Shipping Time to The Minimum
Most products are shipped out from China because the majority of suppliers on AliExpress are Chinese. Therefore it is quite apparent that shipping time will be somewhere between 10-20 days.
But, no worries, here’s the solution.
Warehouse Location
Sort the Aliexpress sellers based on origin country for shipment (as in the screenshot below)
Image credit: AliExpress
Now you have the option to deliver products from a warehouse in the same country as the delivery address or from somewhere closer to the destination country. Therefore, it will significantly reduce the shipping time to 4-7 days—moreover, no need to pay customs charges.
4-7 days shipping time means customers are happy with the shipping time and will approach your store for repeat purchases in the future.
Checklist for warehouse location that favors zero-order delay
UPS Expedited Shipping Method
Did you know that UPS Expedited is customs-cleared and day definite delivery that covers upto 220 geo locations around the world. They take pride in claiming 2 to 5 business days delivery.
- Upto three delivery attempts
- Notification alerts
- Door-to-door service
Image credit: ups.com
Set your default shipping method to UPS Expedited. It is recommended to choose this shipping option for products with a high perceived value that is also a bit costly. Because getting a high-value products within 2-5 days delights customers far more than just getting a 3$ product in 3 days.
Image Credit: YouTube
If UPS expedited is not available as a shipping option. You should request the supplier to enable it, citing that fast shipping means repeat purchases and more business.
DHL is also an excellent option in shipping but not as affordable as the UPS expedited shipping method. Above all, a price increase might discourage customers from making the purchase.
Shipment Processed by AliExpress
Products are first sent to an AliExpress operated center. Every product is verified on quality grounds, after which it is shipped via fastest shipping to ensure delivery time is the minimum possible.
But, only the best products are eligible for shipment processed by AliExpress. These products can be identified by the words “Processed by AliExpress” or “Handled by AliExpress.”
Another benefit is no chance of scam by sellers, invalid tracking number, and minimum disputes as the entire shipment is taken care of by AliExpress.
AliExpress Agreement for Express Deliveries
The agreement between AliExpress and various logistics companies for express deliveries means shipment time can be as little as upto 3-10 days. You can avail of the option by opting for “Fast Shipping.”
Happy customers are an asset to a business
The Correct Way to Inform (Keep Calm) Customers about Long Shipping Time
You can justify the delay by saying it’s a
- A high-demand product.
- Need to be handcrafted first
- Have to be customized as per your instructions
The above ones are quite good but try to apologize before expressing the reason for the delay.
Another solid solution to put an end to long AliExpress shipping time is by finding the winning product. Once you find the winning products, procure them in huge quantity in a warehouse. A thing to remember is choosing a warehouse location that favors zero-order delay.
It’s unavoidable yet manageable.
How to Manage Very Long AliExpress Shipping Time – If It’s Unavoidable
It is always in your best interest to keep the shipping time as minimum as possible. But, sometimes, it becomes inevitable. Due to circumstances like a pandemic, mechanical issues, extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, port congestion, and more.
Nevertheless, there is a way to keep customers calm in case of shipping delays resulting from the above scenarios. Therefore, it will not ruin the customer experience.
#1 Convey to the customers about shipping delays upon receiving information regarding the supplier’s change in the delivery date. Also, make no delay in sending the messages and it must start with an apology.
#2 Incorporate address verification before the checkout. Correct address eliminates any scenario of product shipping to the wrong address and rerouting to the correct address. Therefore, shipment will reach the right address on time.
#3 Consider conveying delay in delivery over multiple modes of communication. Calling up customers will be best but still inform via an email and text message.
#4 If the product is to be shipped during the holiday season, mention possible delay if the order is placed between a particular time period. A hint about delay beforehand works better than promising delivery on a specific day and apologizing afterward, stating the reason.
#5 Check your supplier responsiveness by asking shipping-related questions. Getting a reply in a few minutes is a sign of a good-to-go supplier. If you have to wait for several hours or a day or two, it’s a red flag on the supplier’s credibility. Most likely he will fail to ensure the order delivery is on time.
As a result of taking care of customer experience during long shipping time, customers and you will be on the same page. Hence, not losing customers due to the excessive shipping time.
Angry customer not healthy for business growth
How to Handle Angry Customers due to Shipping Delay
It is highly unlikely that you will have to deal with frustrated customers upon deploying the above strategy. Still, considering it something out of the blue moon, being ready will save your brand reputation.
Convey your apology in a very polite manner because it will half their anger and considering the value of a customer for business it is important to:
- Ask questions to understand the customer’s intention.
- Avoid interrupting them or using an aggressive tone.
- Paraphrase their complaint to make them feel you are listening to them.
- Display empathy to relate with them on a personal level. It makes them feel valued.
tips to avoid the delay
AliExpress Shipping Time – The Checklist for Avoiding Shipping Delays
- Multiple warehouses at strategic locations to cater to customers from all locations.
- Accept orders for only those products that are in inventory. It is possible when you have latest updates of the stock levels.
- Use predictive analytics to find the demand for products in some region during a specific time of the year. Demand forecasting allows you to procure products in the nearest warehouse. As a result, fast shipment will take place.
- Explicitly put forward your shipping time demand before partnering with courier service and analyzing their previous record to understand better if they are capable of delivering in time or not.
The Pro Tip: If the delay is unavoidable, free shipping will save you from the wrath of enraged customers over late delivery. Customers on-time delivery expectations are least for products with free delivery.
It is wise to use it rarely to avoid any significant impact on your profit.
Conclusion – 4-7 Days AliExpress Shipping Time is Possible and Easy
To manage and simplify the shipping delays it takes a little effort. Above all, it will ensure customer service does not hamper at the last moment. Adhering to the above strategies eliminates excessive shipping delays.
Above all, failure in avoiding shipping delays or irresponsibly handling it makes customer retention an uphill task. 69% of customers ditch the plan for repurchase from the same e-commerce website upon late product delivery.
Keeping the AliExpress shipping time as little as possible maximizes the customer retention. Even a 5 percent spike in customer retention results in a profit increase between 25% to 95%.