When Will The Product Arrive?

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July 20, 2007

Do you ever abandon a website because you need to know when the product (gift??) will arrive?

If I buy software from your website, I can download it as soon as my credit card is approved. If you have a lead generation site, I’ll be added to your list of leads instantly, and if your salesperson turns around that lead within hours, he has a better chance of closing. But if I’m buying a product from you, why can’t you tell me when it is arriving?

Oh sure, I know. “Your product will arrive in 3-7 business days.” I see it all the time on the web. But if today is Friday, seven business days will include two weekends. Not very precise.

I go to “Contact Us” pages all the time to figure out where the company is shipping from. If it’s coming from Florida, it will be here in three days from the day it’s shipped. Seattle takes a full business week. New York might be here tomorrow.

Now, maybe you are Amazon and you have many warehouses, and the shipping location depends on the arrival location. But you probably aren’t Amazon. It is possible that you drop ship products, also making the problem harder.

But still.

If you can’t tell me when the product will arrive (before I order, that is), maybe you can tell me, “Most orders ship one business day after we receive your order. 95% of our product ships out of our warehouse in Boca Raton, FL.

Or wherever you happen to ship from.