Online Ordering Tips

One of the nice things about the Internets is the way it allows e-tailers like us to automate things. Things like copying addresses into our shipping software. This frees up large amounts of valuable time that can be used goofing around on the Webs, say at The 365 Days Project.

The downside to all this automation is that it makes it easier for your orders to get messed up if you don't type them in properly. I've noticed a few bad habits that have crept in over the last few months, and as we prepare to launch a more automated order processing system, I thought I'd share some advice for online shoppers that will help your order get where it belongs, whether you're ordering from us or someone else.

1. Disable the Autofill function on Internet Explorer. It's a security risk, and it has a bad habit of putting information in the wrong places.
2. Never put apartment or suite information on the same line as the street address. Use "Address 1" or "Street" fields for the street and number, and use "Address 2" or "Apt." fields for Apartment, Suite, Floor, Building, or Internal Routing numbers. If you put them both on the same line, the second part of the address could be cut off when it gets sent to the shipping software, or devoured by the program that translates the Web data to the proper format for the shipping software. Either way, you've got a package going to an apartment and no apartment number, so it doesn't arrive on time.
3. Always include the state. Yes, some of us have fancy softwares that fill in the state based on the ZIP Code. Some of us don't have those fancy softwares. Some data-conversion programs throw out any address that doesn't include the state, because that's read as missing or incomplete data. Your order doesn't get shipped on time when this happens.
4. Always provide a daytime phone number where you can be reached. While I wouldn't recommend this for every site, at 1-800-Bakery.com, we only use them if we have a question about your order or if there's a delivery problem. In 9 cases out of 10, if we can reach you as soon as we know that UPS or FedEx can't find the address, we can get the package there that day.

Finally, here's an uber-secret tip that skilled shippers know: UPS and FedEx use their discretion when it comes to leaving packages, even if the signature is waived. If the recipient lives in an apartment building with a locked front door, or a house with a locked front gate, the package will not be left behind if it's at street level or in a high-traffic area. A rash of package thefts in an area will also cause our shippers to keep packages on the truck, but this is rare and tends to happen only around Christmas.

In this case, UPS and FedEx will leave a note for the recipient with instructions on how to pick up the package. Almost everything we ship will survive that extra day in transit, but you might wind up missing a birthday or special occasion by a day. If you know the recipient lives somewhere without a safe place to leave a package, try to have it arrive a day early and avoid Friday deliveries of our most perishable items, such as cakes, mousses, and breads.