Speed Is The New Currency

As e-commerce continues to grow, Print on Demand products are increasingly delivering top product quality to Customers with no minimum order size - and doing so with little to no risk for Sellers. The very best in the Print on Demand (POD) category are doing so extremely fast.

This has transformed industries where typically the barriers to entry – such as the cost to store products, risks associated with pre-purchasing and storing pre-made products, and inability to gauge/test customer demand with new designs have limited the ability for new Sellers to enter the market and driven many out of the space.

Swift Service, Stellar Success

At Casestry, we believe that being the absolute fastest print partner for Sellers in our space – without sacrificing quality – delivers significant competitive advantage and enhanced value to our partners. Such advantages help our partners attract more customers, retain more customers, and earn great reviews.

For example, as of May 30, 2024 – Casestry has consistently maintained an average of 1 Business Day production speeds for our full wrap styles of cases (Slim, Tough, MagSafe Tough), and we print 6 days a week year around. Equally important, we’ve done that consistently – even at peak - for over 2 years and have done so with products that (compared to others) are amongst the most difficult to print.

By printing amazing products, packing the shipment, and returning tracking numbers to our partners the day after we get orders, your customers are more enticed to purchase (everyone wants products quickly, given their experiences with Amazon), less likely to continue inquiring with you about their order status, and far less likely to try to cancel orders that are delayed. In the USA, most orders are delivered fully tracked 2-3 days after they’ve been shipped, and at affordable rates.

The Cost of Delay

But it’s more than just that – long or unreliable printing speeds create a disconnect between customers and your brand/store/platform. Many customers who aren’t happy with the time it takes to receive a product simply don’t buy again. Long lead times can also result in shops that live on Marketplaces (for example, Etsy) being penalized for slow delivery. Algorithms on these marketplaces may divert buyers to competitor stores that can deliver faster, or perhaps they suppress the visibility of your store in search results. If true shipping times don’t match what you publish, your store can lose Star Seller ratings, be suspended or even put on forced vacation mode. Being able to say ‘Usually Ships in 1-2 days’ – and having that be true – leads to great success and a clear advantage over other Sellers.

While it’s difficult to know how much business is outright lost due to not displaying accurate and short printing times, it’s not difficult to assume that there is a significant hidden cost. So we wanted to share some industry research that may be helpful.

Industry Insights: The Power of Promptness

Below you’ll find research data (with sources) that help identify some important trends.

For those who sell on Etsy, take careful note (Etsy data is at the bottom of this report) – Etsy has been aggressively removing sellers from the platform based on their public reports, and if you haven’t read this report it’s worth a read – lots of useful information.

https://storage.googleapis.com/etsy-extfiles-prod/2023_Transparency_Report.pdf?ref=news

Our view is that the Etsy platform has far too many sellers as compared to buyers, and to maintain a healthy ecosystem requires more balance. This suggests that Etsy will continue to prune sellers that can’t perform reliably and will focus more effort on those that are sending out great, popular products quickly that create great reviews.

All in all, we think making sure you are aware of how Casestry can help your business is important – and if you’re already a partner, you’ll have seen this already…but making sure YOUR CUSTOMERS know this may unlock hidden potential, increase your profitability, and help you avoid unreliable print partners that may be doing significant harm to your profits.

How Two Day Delivery Impacts e-Commerce Conversions

• “Almost 70% of shoppers expect 2-day delivery or faster when they order, and at Deliverr we’ve seen this reflected in our merchants’ sales. We’ve seen fast shipping reduce ad spend by 50%+, enhance visibility without depleting profit margins or undermining reputations, and increase conversions up to 900%.”
• “The average online shopper now considers 3.1 days an acceptable amount of time to wait for an online order, and nearly half of shoppers have abandoned an online shopping cart because of slow shipping speeds.”
• “Footwear retailer Hey Dude Shoes experienced an 11% decrease in CPA and a 13% decrease in CPC following the addition of 2-day and next-day shipping messaging to its Facebook ads.”
• “Over a third of customers won’t return to a retailer following a bad delivery experience, which means customers will actively return to a retailer following a positive delivery experience.”

How Fast Shipping Affects Conversions Across Marketplaces

• “Saying that you’ll deliver quickly is great. Failing to delivery quickly can be catastrophic. If you underdeliver on your shipping promises, customers will likely leave you and leave negative reviews while doing so. In fact, nearly one in five customers won’t ever return again.”
• “66% will buy from your competitors if they offer more shipping options than you do. Providing faster and more cost-effective shipping options than your competitors makes you more attractive and more likely to convert customers.”

The Shopper Speaks: Shipping and Delivery Satisfaction Numbers Stand Strong

• “When online shoppers select retailers to do business with, factors that are important often tend to do with saving money. First and foremost, that means free shipping, selected as No. 1 among 82% of the respondents.”
• “Consumers rank delivery speed second, as shoppers are accustomed to receiving their orders fast in an Amazon world.”
• “29% abandoned an order because it would not arrive in time”

Here are some statistics to keep in mind:

How Late Deliveries Impact Customer Retention

• 69% of consumers “are much less or less likely to shop with a retailer in the future if an item they purchased is not delivered within two days of the date promised.”
• 17% of respondents will stop shopping with a retailer after receiving a late delivery one time.
• 55% of respondents will stop shopping with a retailer after receiving a late delivery two to three times.

Etsy Seller Handbook

• “Our research has shown buyers are more likely to buy items that ship faster—even if it’s only by one day!”
• “Since every seller’s schedule looks a little different, you have the option to set an Order Processing Schedule based on whether or not you’re preparing or shipping packages on the weekend. Adding Saturday and/or Sunday to your Order Processing Schedule doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re shipping orders over the weekend. Rather, it includes weekend days in your processing times, which impacts your ship-by dates.”

Conclusion: The Power of Pacing in a Digital Marketplace

In conclusion, Casestry's dedication to rapid production speeds isn't just about efficiency; it's a core strategy that amplifies every aspect of our business and the success of our partners. By ensuring that products are printed and shipped within a day, we not only meet but often exceed the fast-paced expectations set by global e-commerce leaders like Amazon. This approach significantly enhances customer satisfaction and reduces the frequency of inquiries and cancellations due to shipping delays.

Moreover, the reliability of our quick shipping promises plays a crucial role in maintaining and elevating seller ratings on platforms like Etsy, where visibility and customer feedback directly influence success. By avoiding the pitfalls of slow delivery, our partners preserve their reputations, maintain high seller ratings, and avoid punitive measures from marketplace algorithms.

As the digital landscape evolves, the correlation between shipping speed and e-commerce success becomes increasingly undeniable. Our industry-leading turnaround times are designed to ensure that our partners not only survive but thrive in this competitive environment. The data speaks for itself: faster shipping not only boosts conversion rates but also significantly lowers marketing costs and improves overall profitability.