Handling times and fulfillment settings

Summary

This video guide explains crucial Amazon seller settings for managing handling times and fulfillment to enhance customer trust and sales. It covers setting default handling times, adjusting order capacities, enabling weekend operations, and customizing ASIN-specific times. The tutorial emphasizes the importance of accurate handling times for maintaining account health and winning the Featured Offer, while providing step-by-step instructions for optimizing these settings in Seller Central.

Takeaways

• 🕒 Handling time is crucial for customer trust and is a key component of the Customer Delivery Promise, which includes handling time, transit time, and potential buffers for delivery issues.
• 🏆 Shorter Customer Delivery Promises can increase the chances of winning the Featured Offer and being chosen by customers, especially when prices are the same.
• 📉 A 2019 study revealed that US-based merchant fulfilled sellers tend to overestimate their domestic handling times by an average of 53%, leading to missed opportunities.
• 🔄 The default handling time can be reduced to improve the Customer Delivery Promise, with options including one-day, two-day, or even same-day handling, depending on the seller's capabilities.
• 📦 Same-day handling time means orders placed before a certain cut-off time will be shipped on the same day, but it is not the same as same-day delivery, which is a premium shipping service.
• ⏲️ Order handling capacity can be set to manage the number of orders that can be fulfilled within the default handling time, preventing overcommitment and maintaining Account Health.
• 📅 Weekend operations can be enabled to make listings more appealing by extending the shipping window to include Saturdays and Sundays.
• 🔄 Shipping Settings Automation (SSA) should be enabled for weekend operations if used, as it automatically calculates the delivery promise based on shipping templates.
• 🔑 ASIN-specific handling times allow for customization of delivery promises for individual products, accommodating those that may require faster or slower shipping times than the default.
• 🛠️ Accurate handling times are essential for maintaining Account Health and providing a better customer experience, which can be achieved by adjusting default settings, order capacity, and utilizing ASIN-specific adjustments.
• 📈 Optimizing handling times and fulfillment settings can help maximize seller performance in the Amazon store by delighting customers with faster and more reliable deliveries.

Q & A

What are the four main settings that affect order handling times on Amazon?

The four main settings are default handling time, handling capacity, weekend operations, and ASIN-specific handling time.

Why is handling time crucial for earning customer trust on Amazon?

Handling time is crucial because it is a key part of the Customer Delivery Promise, which is the range of dates a customer can expect their order to arrive. Accurate handling times help in building trust and ensuring timely deliveries.

What is the Customer Delivery Promise on Amazon?

The Customer Delivery Promise is the range of dates in which a customer can expect an order to arrive, consisting of handling time, transit time, and occasionally additional buffers for carrier delivery issues or weather events.

How does late delivery impact a seller's Account Health on Amazon?

Late deliveries can hurt a seller's Account Health as they lead to customer dissatisfaction and doubts about the seller's ability to deliver on time, potentially affecting the seller's reputation and sales.

What is the difference between one-day handling time and same-day default handling time?

One-day handling time means the order is shipped by the end of the business day after it was received, while same-day default handling time means orders are shipped on the same day they are received, provided they were placed before a set cut-off time.

What is the default cut-off time for same-day handling time, and can it be changed?

The default cut-off time for same-day handling time is 2 p.m. in the local time zone, but it can be edited to suit the seller's needs.

How can a seller set their order handling capacity on Amazon?

A seller can set their order handling capacity in the 'Order Fulfillment Settings' section under 'General Shipping Settings' in Seller Central. This helps to ensure they never have more orders than they can handle within their default handling time.

Why is it beneficial for a seller to enable weekend operations on Amazon?

Enabling weekend operations makes listings more appealing to customers by offering the possibility of receiving orders faster, as it includes weekends in the shipping process, potentially reducing the overall delivery time.

How can a seller set ASIN-specific handling times for their products on Amazon?

ASIN-specific handling times can be set on the 'Manage Inventory' page by selecting the ASIN, editing it, and adjusting the handling time under the 'Offer' tab. This allows for more accurate delivery promises for products that require different handling times.

What is Shipping Settings Automation (SSA) and how does it relate to weekend operations?

Shipping Settings Automation (SSA) is a feature that uses shipping templates to automatically calculate delivery promises. If a seller has SSA enabled, they also need to enable weekend operations for SSA-enabled products to include weekends in the delivery promise calculation.

How often can a seller change their handling time on Amazon, and why is there a limit?

A seller can change their handling time once every 24 hours. This limit exists because changing the handling time adjusts the Customer Delivery Promise for all ASINs, and frequent changes could lead to confusion and potential issues with order fulfillment.