Since the inception of Route, we’ve been on the hunt to find a way to fully realize the revolution of ecommerce. Rumblings of innovation have gripped pretty much every part of the online shopping journey.

Ecommerce platforms, marketing automation, advertising channels, and even consumers have all evolved and adapted over time—so why has the post-purchase experience stayed the same? Why are shoppers today still subject to typing in winding tracking numbers, seeking their own updates, and sitting in support chat purgatory should something go wrong?

Why is product discovery left up to a couple images in a marketing email? Should customer loyalty be nurtured only while the customer is actively on your website? If a package gets stolen, is the best we can really do by consumers simply to make them repurchase? Why do so many brands leave post-purchase experiences in the hands of third-party carriers?

That’s a lot of questions. And they’re just a small example of the questions spinning around the heads of the founders of Route, which is what prompted them to build the product here today. Route for Merchants isn’t just another platform; it’s the evolution of ecommerce to finally meet and exceed the needs of modern shoppers.

What is Route for Merchants?

Route for Merchants is a fully integrated suite of ecommerce tools that powers modern post-purchase experiences for merchants and consumers.

That sounds like a lot to unpack, but its simplicity is next-level. 

Route for Merchants is made up of three solutions:

Track
Track is the world’s most powerful package tracking software, hands down. With Route’s modern tracking technology, merchants can create immersive experiences that are proactive, accessible, and on-brand.

Before Track, it was easy for brands to overlook this part of the experience, often assuming it didn’t have huge value for their bottom line or brand. However, the last mile is typically the one customers remember most, and it could be the deciding factor in if they return or not. 

Modern consumers long for proactive communication and complete brand transparency. After all, they just forked over a lot of cash, and they want to have the peace of mind that comes with knowing where their purchases are at any moment. Plus, the rest of the ecommerce experience has adopted an on-demand nature, and package tracking shouldn’t be any different.

Protect
Protect gives customers access to buyer protection at checkout that covers lost, stolen, or damaged packages, all while enabling seamless resolution if something goes wrong. 

The truth is, when a package is swiped, busted, or stuck on a truck somewhere, the customer is going to be unhappy. That unhappiness only grows when they try to contact the store, file a claim, or end up with no answers beyond “Well, we shipped it and it says it was delivered.” 

With factors like package theft and shipping volume perpetually on the rise (and creating a perfect storm for delays, theft, and damage), merchants and consumers are feeling the pain. Route Protect was built to not just numb the pain, but to eliminate the blow in the first place.

With Protect, merchants can easily add a customizable package protection option—1-Click Protect—directly on the checkout page. Then customers can add it to their purchase total, often for just pocket change, and complete their purchase with the peace of mind that their goods are protected no matter what happens. Merchants can build trust with this experience while also avoiding the woes of eating the costs of replacing stolen, lost, or damaged packages.

But if something does go wrong before the customer can enjoy their new products, Protect gives them a quick and seamless solution for filing a claim and getting a refund or replacement. No more endless support automations. No more dead ends. No more headaches and bad feelings about the brands that can’t help ‘em out. Just good vibes (and repeat customership).

Discover
Discover is a next-generation platform for getting your brand in front of new audiences. It’s the solution that highlights the best brands and gives them access to Route’s high-engagement consumer app network through their own tailored profiles and feed. 

Instead of bowing to the ecommerce gods and praying your brand beats the algorithms to get in front of the right audiences, Discover is here to help. It’s a way to find shoppers who would love your stuff and connect them with your store and products in a seamless way that blends in with their daily scrolling. 

Merchants can tailor their brand’s profile within Discover, automatically subscribe customers so they see product updates and releases, and extend the customer relationship. Discover is Route’s response to the modern consumer’s desire to authentically engage with brands as well as find new products that fit their lifestyle and values. 

What ecommerce stores should use Route for Merchants?

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands finally have a thoughtful and revolutionary solution that puts experience-altering tools within their reach. What used to take loads of money, tech support, and integration gymnastics is now simple with Route for Merchants. 

The suite of tools within Route for Merchants is a combo that enables merchants to offer Amazon-level amenities to their customers. Multi-channel package tracking, customizable buyer protection, instant order resolution, and seamless customer re-engagement can genuinely improve any store’s customer experience and satisfaction. 

It’s a platform well within reach for newly started stores to well-established brands looking to maximize their experience and increase long-term customer retention and loyalty. With Track, Protect, and Discover, merchants can revolutionize their post-purchase experience from discovery to delivery and beyond.

Route for Merchants by the Numbers

You may be wondering if adding a suite of experience-enhancing tools to your roster is worth it. Will your bottom line actually be impacted? Will customers really notice the experiential differences? 

While our gut naturally says, “Of course people will notice and care and come back and spend more!” we thought it would be best to run some numbers, anyways. Ya know, for proof and stuff. 

We want to start with the fact that the Route app gets installed more than 400,000 times every month, reaching more than 4 million users today. More and more modern consumers are uncovering the value to their experience when they can track everything they order in one place, discover new products, and self-resolve claims in an instant. It’s a seamless transition from the ecommerce experience they’ve dreamt of to the rock-solid reality of the Route app.

The ease of access and highly desired post-purchase transparency has shoppers engaging with brands 300% more—often checking up on each purchase more than seven times—versus other solutions. Proactive updates and visual tracking also means brands taking advantage of Route for Merchants can see support tickets drop by 75%. (That’s a lot of people who no longer have to ask “Where is my order?!”)

Not only are both consumers and merchants feeling immediate post-purchase relief and ease with Route, but the long-term impacts are huge. Route has protected nearly $4 billion worth of merchandise, insuring more than 35 million customers. All of that purchase protection against theft, loss, and damage has saved merchants nearly $20 million (and an unquantifiable number of headaches and sour feelings).

The welcome customer experience and pure satisfaction has driven numbers like:

• 51% of customers that use Protect are repeat purchasers.
• 60% of buyers would be disappointed if Protect was no longer available with the brands they buy from.
• 25% of customers are more likely to complete a transaction if the merchant offers Protect.
• 50% of customers who’ve had a positive claims experience are more likely to come back and buy again.
• Net Promoter Score (NPS) for customers who have opted for Protect is 16.
• 92% or higher customer satisfaction (CSAT) with issue resolution.

Up close, Route for Merchants diminishes the number of tedious, manual support tasks weighing down teams while giving customers clarity and trust with each order. And when you zoom out, the long-term effects are clear. Customers are engaging with brands more, feeling great affinity for brands that use Route, and experiencing empowerment they haven’t ever felt with the post-purchase experience.

Route for Merchants—and the future of ecommerce—is finally here

No matter the size of your store, the niche of your customer base, or the number of SKUs under your belt, Route for Merchants is the post-purchase solution fit for any store serving modern customers. 

As much as ecommerce has evolved since the ‘90s, it hasn’t always changed in ways that aligned with what shoppers wanted. And even though Amazon paved the way and made pricing and convenience the top benefits for a while, people have changed and their priorities have, too. While two-day shipping or slashed prices are great, it’s more clear than ever that purchase decisions are being made based on the experience a brand can provide.

Engaging, authentic, transparent, and truly supported ecommerce experiences will earn loyalty every single time—and now the ability to deliver these benefits is available to every brand with Route for Merchants.