What is branded tracking?

Branded tracking in ecommerce is the practice of personalizing order status pages and emails that customers receive. Instead of a generic update from a shipping provider, customers get notifications customized with your branding.

Unlike non-branded tracking, where the communications are standard and generic, branded tracking can be tailored to include specific messages or offers. For example, many retailers that implement branded tracking use these communications to recommend relevant products, engage in post-purchase upselling, and drive additional sales.

How do you implement branded tracking?

You implement branded tracking through an ecommerce, shipping, or post-purchase engagement. The exact steps for getting your branded tracking assets up and running depends on the solution you choose, but they generally include the following steps:

Choose a branded tracking solution

Many ecommerce platforms offer branded parcel tracking solutions, either as built-in features or through third-party integrations. You can also use a solution like parcelLab, which enables you to enhance the post-purchase experience. parcelLab makes it easy to implement branded tracking pages and notifications, giving you more control over the customer experience and communication.

Customize your branded tracking page and/or emails

Already have a post-purchase platform in place? The next step is to customize your branded tracking assets with your logo, colors, and other branding elements. This may require HTML/CSS knowledge or work with a web developer.

Include marketing content (optional)

If you want to use this as a marketing opportunity, include personalized recommendations or offers that align with the customer’s purchase. Branded tracking emails can serve as an excellent cross-sell and upsell tool.

Integrate with your shipping carriers

See to it that your branded tracking solution or delivery notification software works with your shipping carriers. This typically involves connecting your platform through an API or by scraping carrier data. 

Pro tip: Unlike other post-purchase platforms, which simply scrape carrier data, parcelLab has a direct integration with leading carriers to ensure that your branded tracking assets have the most accurate and updated tracking information.

Test the experience

Before rolling it out to all customers, test the branded tracking experience to ensure that all elements work as they should. Make sure that it’s mobile-friendly, as many customers will check tracking information on their smartphones.

Monitor and analyze

Once live, monitor how customers interact with the branded tracking pages and notifications. Analyze their post-purchase behavior and collect feedback. From there, you can make continuous improvements as needed.

Comply with consumer privacy laws

Throughout all of these steps, make sure your branded tracking efforts follow all relevant privacy and electronic communication regulations laws. The EU, for example, has GDPR. Meanwhile, in the U.S., certain states — including California and Utah — have enacted their own consumer privacy laws.

Here’s a quick summary of the steps involved in implementing branded tracking. 

Branded tracking best practice	Description
Choose a branded tracking solution	Select a system that enables you to implement branded tracking (example: parcelLab)
Customize your branded tracking page and/or emails	Create tracking pages/emails to reflect your brand's unique identity and aesthetics
Include marketing content (optional)	Add promotional materials or offers within tracking communications to enhance engagement
Integrate with your shipping carriers	Connect branded tracking with shipping providers for seamless status updates and consistency (tip: use a direct API integration to ensure accurate tracking data)
Test the experience	Send sample emails and test your branded tracking pages to ensure everything is working properly
Monitor and analyze	Assess customer interactions with branded tracking, using data to refine strategies and performance
Comply with consumer privacy laws	Adhere to legal regulations related to consumer privacy in all branded tracking communications

Why should you implement branded tracking?

Branded tracking pages and emails may seem like extra work on the part of the retailer, but these initiatives can have immense benefits for your business. Consider the following.

You can enhance the customer experience. Branded tracking offers a seamless and consistent experience, keeping the customer engaged with your brand even throughout the post-purchase evaluation process. 

Branded tracking offers marketing opportunities. Branded tracking pages and emails are the perfect places to deliver promotional offers, recommendations, or cross-sells.

You can differentiate yourself from competitors. Offering a branded tracking experience can set you apart from competitors who may only provide generic tracking information.

Gain more control over customer communication. You have greater control over your customer interactions and you can make sure each touch point is on brand. 

Have deeper customer insights Some branded tracking solutions offer analytics, enabling you to understand how customers engage with tracking information. You can then use that info to improve your sales, marketing, and customer support initiatives. 

Reduces customer service inquiries. Providing detailed and easily accessible tracking information means shoppers are less likely to contact customer support. This frees up your team to focus on higher-level activities. 

Compliance and consistency. With branded tracking, you can ensure that all communications are in line with your legal obligations and brand guidelines.