What is Return To Origin and Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce? Top Reasons For NDR in eCommerce and How To Reduce RTO With NDR Follow-Ups in 2024

The eCommerce sector has experienced tremendous growth recently, particularly in D2C businesses, because they have fundamentally altered the interaction between consumers and brands.

The secure and prompt delivery of the merchandise inventory is the key priority of an eCommerce vendor. Unfortunately, however, delivery delays happen frequently. Occurrences include stopped shipments, delayed deliveries, incomplete addresses, customers unable to pay the COD amount, inaccurate addresses, or even customers who refuse to accept the delivery for their particular reason. Customers’ worries may grow as a result.

In e-commerce, return shipments can account for up to 20% of all shipments, according to a recent KPMG study. For orders that are paid in cash on delivery (COD), this cost increases to 40%.

Even the most successful companies encounter many delivery exceptions each month. These delivery outliers may appear insignificant, but they can quickly snowball into missed deliveries and subsequent losses.

There is a considerable likelihood that a delivery error will become a Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce and then an RTO. As a result, your company is left to suffer the weight of a loss that was mostly preventable. You might wonder how it might be avoided. Through management and strategic planning, as with everything in business. In more detail, let’s examine the cause-and-effect cycle that delivery exceptions cause and its many attributes.

What Do The Terms Return to Origin (RTO) and (NDR) Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce Shipping Mean?

In e-commerce, a non-delivery report (NDR) is a notification that is sent when a delivery attempt for an email message has failed. This can occur for a variety of reasons, such as the recipient’s email address being invalid or the email server being temporarily unavailable.

When an NDR is generated, it is typically sent back to the sender of the original email message with details about the failure. This can help the sender to understand why the message was not delivered and take steps to resolve the issue. For example, the sender may need to update their email list to remove invalid addresses or retry sending the message at a later time.

In the context of e-commerce, NDRs can be important for a variety of reasons. For example, if a customer has not received a confirmation email or shipping notification, they may contact the retailer to ask about the status of their order. If the retailer receives an NDR for the email they sent to the customer, they may need to take additional steps to ensure that the message is delivered or to communicate with the customer through an alternative means.

To ensure successful delivery, the courier makes several efforts to deliver the package. First, orders are given the RTO status, which stands for Return to Origin, if they are canceled or after numerous unsuccessful delivery efforts. The order must now be returned to the original warehouse it was first sent from because, as the term implies, the purchase has effectively been reversed. It can then be reloaded in your inventory and sold once more there.

In this last mile of delivery, many potential problems could arise and lead to failure. Incomplete deliveries result in a Return To Origin (RTO). In addition, customers may have a negative impression of your brand, significantly degrading their delivery experience.

Because of this, firms should give Non-Delivery Reports in eCommerce much thought when planning their shipping operations.

Read Here: How to Address Last-Mile Delivery The WareIQ Way.

WareIQ – Amazon-prime Like Logistics for Modern Brands in India

WareIQ, an eCommerce fulfillment company, empowers online brands with a superior-tech platform to compete with Amazon like service levels by bringing their average delivery timelines from 5-10 days to 1-2 days.

"With WareIQ, UTH is able to consolidate common inventory for all platforms and get much closer to the customer through access to WareIQ’s strong nationwide network of fulfilment centres, and last mile & hyper-local courier partners. We are excited about being able to offer same day delivery in several pin codes due to WareIQ."
- Samit Mehta, Founder, UTH Beverages

Top 8 Reasons For NDR in eCommerce Which Can Lead to RTO (Return To Origin) in eCommerce in 2024

The RTO and NDR can harm any organization’s long-term growth and profitability.

You now have a general understanding of how NDR and RTO operate in the eCommerce business. But to truly comprehend how each of them functions, we must understand the causes of the Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce, which might result in RTO of order.

These are the principal causes of NDRs:

Incomplete Or Incorrect Addresses

A buyer can make a mistake when providing the delivery address. For example, a consumer may accidentally or unintentionally enter the wrong delivery address. This could make it difficult for the delivery employee to locate the customer’s location, making it harder for them to finish the delivery.

Incomplete Or Incorrect Customer Contact

Another issue comparable to the above could arise if a customer unintentionally enters the incorrect phone number. Therefore, the delivery employee would only be able to reach the customer if and when they needed directions to the delivery location. As a result, the order would be designated as NDR.

Unavailable or Unreachable customers

Once the customer has received their order, it is only considered fulfilled. The order can only be fulfilled if the delivery person has any issues locating the delivery location or if the customer is there to accept the delivery when the delivery agent arrives at the customer’s location. The order then needs to be fulfilled. To confirm the delivery location, the delivery person will attempt to phone the customer. However, the delivery agent would only be able to finish the delivery if the customer’s contact number was reached.

Rescheduled Delivery By The Consumer

Customers can select a different day and time for delivery if they are present or need help to make payment at a specific time or on the day delivery is supposed to take place. This information should be given to the delivery agent at the delivery time, who would then update it as the basis of the Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce.

Customer Refuses Delivery

Suppose a customer is dissatisfied with the delivery process or the state of the product upon delivery. In that case, they may exercise their right to reject or refuse an order after making a purchase. This could be more pleasant for eCommerce companies, yet it frequently happens, especially with COD orders. Customers are more inclined to cancel a purchase when payment has not been made.

Consumer Unable To Make The Payment

With COD purchases, it’s common for the customer to require additional time to prepare the delivery payment. As a result, deliveries are commonly late because delivery staff constantly interact with clients to secure the necessary payment. Also, the customer can either cancel their purchase or set an alternative delivery time. This is only possible who opt for cash-on-delivery courier services.

Customer’s Changing Opinion

Customers can change their minds about their purchases, which is only one of the numerous benefits of digital purchasing. They can even do this after the package is delivered, which can frequently happen because customers often need to remember about their purchases until they arrive or receive a call from the delivery person. They could then proceed to cancel the order after declining the delivery in the first place.

Falsified Delivery Attempt By The Carrier Agent

Fake deliveries are one of the most troublesome Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce that brands come across. In this case, the order is still marked as a failed delivery even though the delivery employee did not attempt to deliver it to the customer’s address. They may negatively affect the customer experience if not resolved swiftly and effectively.

Suggested Read: Learn in detail about eCommerce Delivery Partners

How to Reduce RTO with NDR follow-Ups to Decrease RTOs (%) in eCommerce in 2024?

You already understand how damaging NDR and RTO can be to your company’s brand and customer experience. Non-Delivery Reports in eCommerce must be handled carefully, with reasons previously indicated, if RTOs are to be avoided.

A structured methodology and significant thought must go into handling NDRs. With the help of this procedure, you can handle NDRs autonomously, turning them into successful deliveries rather than RTOs. Implementing a basic system for NDR management follow-ups is required to manage the Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce industry.

Determine Various NDR Causes

There are many potential causes for an NDR (the most probable of which we’ve listed above). You may find out the best line of action by looking at these reasons for NDR in eCommerce. You can use it to determine which Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce have a high likelihood of succeeding and which have a high probability of repeatedly failing. Using this, you can handle NDRs accordingly.

Encourage Consumer Participation

Nothing irritates clients more than keeping their orders secret or needing to learn about order delivery. In addition, they want to ensure that their money has been well spent.

You should contact clients based on the reason for a Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce to validate the cause and, more crucially, to gather information for a successful delivery. As a result, customers not only get to supply the necessary information directly, but they also get to feel involved in the delivery process, which can improve the experience.

Monitor False Deliveries

Delivery personnel who falsely mark an order as an NDR instead of attempting to deliver it are committing a sort of Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce, known as fake deliveries. These have a terrible impact on customer satisfaction and profitability because they increase the likelihood of RTOs.

Due to no fault of their own, customers are left waiting for an order that never arrives and dealing with several delivery attempts. Making sure this number is maintained at a minimum can be accomplished by tracking phone deliveries among various carriers.

Interact With Carriers

A collaborative effort is necessary to ensure that the delivery of the Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce is successful. You must first receive notification of the NDRs from the carriers. Then, you must give the carrier the appropriate information after receiving it from the consumer for delivery. Any indirect communication with carriers or ineffective communication methods could also fail in the subsequent delivery attempt.

How Can Technological Innovations Like NDR Management Software Solutions Contribute To Reducing RTOs?

Non-Delivery Report (NDR) in eCommerce_NDR Management in eCommerce to Reduce RTO%
Source

The four measures mentioned above are critically necessary for the fundamental management of NDRs to lower RTO%. However, you must use more sophisticated and technologically enabled resources if you want to reduce your RTO% as well as your NDR statistics significantly. You need specific features in NDR management solutions to automate the process of NDR management and quickly complete numerous follow-ups. An NDR management software solution is the first thing you need to have tied to your handy logistics toolbelt. Essentially, this system will assist you in automating and streamlining your NDR management workflow.

Rapid NDR Updates

Carriers are responsible for providing NDR updates, which they usually do in bulk after each business day. This implies that it takes a day to answer. Using an NDR management system with API connectors will ensure you get NDR updates in real time as they happen, which will speed up your response time.

NDR Segregation With AI Support

We included the various reasons for NDR in eCommerce previously. The easiest way to recognize and classify Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce to choose the most effective approaches to addressing them is through these causes. You should acquire an AI-enabled mechanism from an NDR management system that is set up to track NDRs according to the cause of the delivery failure.

Automate Customer Communications

The next step is to discuss these concerns with customers after you have sorted and classified various Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce according to their reasons (incorrect address, client unavailability, etc.). When NDR management software is used, clients are automatically contacted with questions about specific issues. These questions will specifically address the reason for the unsuccessful delivery. For instance, if the address is incorrect and an NDR results, a query will be issued asking for the proper address and the closest recognizable landmark.

Optimizing Customer Response Time

Automating these issue-specific queries can speed up the rate at which customers receive their inquiries and answers.

Intelligent NDR management software will send simplified inquiries that ask for precise information, such as a backup contact number or the closest landmark to the delivery location, with multiple-choice or text-fill options.

Real-Time Updating Carriers and Follow-Ups After Each Delivery Attempt

You need to provide that information to the carrier as soon as you receive a customer response, and in record speed, no less. Only then can the delivery person attempt their subsequent delivery with knowledge.

Your clients’ responses can be automatically forwarded to carriers using an NDR management system to finish delivery.

You must use equivalent caution in those rare cases where delivery reattempts fail despite following the specified Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce processes. Using an NDR management software entails following up with clients via automated conversations to find out why the delivery attempt failed and how it can go smoothly.

Analytics-Based NDR Reduction

Data gathering and analytics rely heavily on NDR management software. You can keep track of all your Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce over time to see what difficulties you might have overlooked and what issues the data suggests as remedies.

You can detect fake deliveries by keeping track of NDRs and their causes. You can then take note of their most frequent occurrences and patterns. Then, with the help of your carrier and eCommerce NDR management software, you can start making deliberate efforts to reduce RTO with NDR follow-ups.

Conclusion

One challenge that is somewhat particular to Indian eCommerce operations is a high RTO percentage. As a result, brands must utilize data-driven management techniques to address specific problems. An NDR management system skillfully combines technology and logistics expertise to simplify workflow. This procedure prioritizes Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce based on their tendency to be resolved and targets NDRs according to their cause. 

Establishing a Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce system is fairly straightforward. Address the issues that have readily available solutions initially. Then, acquire data that will assist you in comprehending the more complicated concerns at the same time. Next, automate all predictable processes, then finish. An NDR management system, at its core, enables your company to communicate with customers more efficiently and enhance their post-purchase experience.

Non-Delivery Report (NDR) in eCommerce_wareiq seller services

How Does WareIQ Help Businesses Through Efficient Management of Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce in 2024?

For managing Non-Delivery Reports in eCommerce, WareIQ features a reliable 3-step verification method.

Verification of Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce by:

  • IVR and SMS Calling
  • WhatsApp 
  • Last-mile team manual verification
reduce RTO with NDR followups_wareiq control tower

eCommerce & D2C brands may handle Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce effectively by doing the following with WareIQ’s Control Tower feature:

  • Utilize our NDR dashboard to monitor eCommerce KPIs like NDR raised, reattempt requested, cancelled, and delivered, among others.
  • Recognize the top 3 reasons for NDR in eCommerce and act right away.
  • Get details for every order and respond to Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce immediately.

NDR Non-Delivery Report in eCommerce FAQs