After setting up an online store, merchants have to take care of many elements accompanied by the business domain in order to offer an excellent shopping experience. This includes managing product catalog, maintain the quality of products, spreading brand awareness through multiple marketing techniques and systematizing the payment gateways, shipping methods and much more.
Restricting shipping methods can save a lot of trouble associated with the delivery of purchased products. Often merchants tend to list the products without limiting its scope, in the end, they have to confront the situations when the product take days or even months to reach the customer. Ultimately, the customer leaves the negative review that hurts dreadfully to the reputation of the business.
Importance of shipping methods
Shipping methods play a significant role in any online business. The synergy between eCommerce business and shipping methods makes online shopping more exciting and successful. Before inducing shipping methods merchants need to review multiple options thoroughly to determine which one resonates with the business domain and is highly effective. Shipping options have a huge impact on your sales and conversions.
Why Restrict Shipping Methods?
Sometimes it is hard for merchants to offer cash on delivery services to the specific regions. Many shipping companies also tend to offer their services to limited geographical areas. In this case, restricting certain shipping methods to those areas is ideal for increasing productivity and customer satisfaction.
Many times customers complained about particular shipping methods as they have received the product after the due date or haven’t received it anyway. So, restraining those shipping methods to certain customer groups makes it more functional through in time delivery.
How to Restrict the Shipping of Products?
In order to control the delivery sources of the products, merchants can make use of extensions like Magento 2 shipping restrictions to streamline the delivery process.
Prohibit Selected Products or Categories
Most of the times certain regions and countries prohibit a list of products such as chemicals and substances from getting shipped due to several reasons. Detaching those products from the shipping methods attributed to those countries make it easy for customers to identify and order zone-specific products.
Hide Carrier Options
Shipping companies tend to offer multiple carrier options for the convenience of their customers. These options include shipping through aircraft, freight shipping, and shipping through the land. Managing shipping carriers in accordance with the residence of customers make it more feasible for merchants to rationalize their workflow and to save the costs.
If grocery and household items like flowers, cutlery, and toys, etc., are enlisted in your online store, and orders are received from the local community, there is no need to bind heavy-duty shipping methods instead of relying on local shipping companies or offer cash on delivery services.
Set Limitations on Cart Amount and Quantity
Restricting payment methods on the basis of products weight, quantity and amount can give you an advantage in many ways. Try to hide those shipping methods that charge you more on the above-mentioned variables.
Remove Shipping options for a Time-frame
Most shipping companies are bound to provide services in the specific timings and sometimes the placed order can’t match with their availability of service so it is optimal to choose one that is available to handle late orders.
Restrict certain regions or customers from using the service of selective payment methods because of their shipping and handling charges, product delivery issues and customer behaviors and much more.
Apply restrictions with Coupons too
Provide leverage to your loyal customers in the shape of reduced shipping rates by manifesting discounts and coupons at the time of choosing shipping methods. Also, illuminate the restriction message that specifies that the offer is only available to specific customer groups.
Allow Free Shipping to Selected Customers/User Groups
Customers love getting products with no shipping charges. It may not be beneficial for merchants, but starting your business with no shipping charges at all is an excellent way of flourishing your business. Many customers abandon their shopping carts when they see higher shipping and handling fees. The major drawback of offering no shipping charges is that you have to absorb it in the shape of low-profit margins or sometimes no profits it all. That’s why you can’t endure it for a long.
Final words
These days, customers are more inclined towards shopping online instead of investing their time in visiting physical stores. Merchants are needed to optimize the shopping experience by offering flexible ways of ordering products from their business domain. Restricting shipping methods make it easy for customers to choose those options that are robust and have seamless services in their region. Also, merchants need to determine which shipping method would be more effective for specific customer groups and which products should be limited to purchase by the people residing in particular areas.
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