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Indians are big on cash on delivery (COD). A 2024 survey report by Indian Institute of Management, ‘Digital Retail Channels and Consumers: the Indian Perspective’, revealed that nearly 65% of consumers used the COD option to make payments in their most recent online transactions. The advent of small to medium (SMB) businesses, Direct to Consumer (D2C) business models and the burgeoning ‘vocal for local brands’ movement have ensured that cash remains king. It remains such a crucial factor that ecommerce companies have had to tweak their business models to bring COD on board as a payment method. 

When Shopify announced the deprecation of its Advanced Cash on Delivery (A-COD) app on August 31, 2024, it left merchants and online retailers scrambling for alternatives. Luckily, the ecommerce platform has spotlighted an exciting alternative to solve COD woes: the premium Kwik COD app by GoKwik. 

The only Shopify recommended alternative to the A-COD app, Kwik COD will help over 50,000 e-commerce merchants gain control over their COD orders, through vital interventions such as blocking or hiding COD, verifying customer intent, customising COD on the basis of shipping and payment methods and much more. This comprehensive array of features is designed to help brands cut through the COD chaos, and makes Kwik COD a perfect solution for early-stage e-commerce brands following the deprecation of the A-COD app.

Risk or reward?

For businesses, COD can represent both risk and reward. The risk for many ecommerce companies revolves around order loss and RTOs, additional costs for multiple deliveries (in case a customer isn’t available for pickup), and cash management issues. However, cash on delivery also gives new businesses significant advantages. 

For merchants, COD can significantly reduce payment timelines. It plays an essential role when it comes to impulse buys. Customers can explore a wider range of options with COD as they don’t need to pay at the time of placing the order. 

This option also allows businesses to tap into a market of consumers who may not have credit cards or are reluctant to share sensitive information like credit or banking details. Finally, for small or new businesses, the cash on delivery option is a vital tool of trust. Customers unsure of the product quality find COD a safe choice. It can facilitate high conversion rates and help brands build a wider customer base. 

Making COD seamless for sellers

The Kwik COD app directly addresses customer and business needs, ensuring that businesses can manage their COD orders effectively and efficiently. It deftly minimises the risks, making COD a vital tool for online sellers.  

Risk: COD increases the risk of cancellations.

Retailers often anticipate the risk of goods being refused on delivery. However, with the Kwik COD app, businesses can disable COD for high-risk shoppers based on 10+ parameters. The app also offers specialised features that significantly cut down the risk of refusal. Businesses can use the app to customise COD availability for a select range of products, determine regions with a high rate of RTO orders, excluding them from COD orders, and tailor COD availability based on their chosen shipping method.  

Risk: Customers may place orders without a distinct intent to purchase, increasing the chances of cancellations. 

Intent is the underlying reason behind a customer’s actions when purchasing or interacting with a brand. While it may seem daunting and hard to predict, the Kwik COD app offers crucial interventions to help filter out non-serious buyers. Shoppers will receive a One Time Password (OTP) from the app to confirm their buying intent. Additionally, the app’s COD Captcha (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) feature adds an additional layer of security, to bar bots and fraudsters from placing cash-led orders. A nominal fee is imposed for COD transactions to encourage prepaid orders. 

Enhancing the shopping experience

The Kwik COD app allows businesses to manage their shipping methods with ease. Shipping options can be hidden, renamed, or customised in different ways, based on the state, cart range, weight, product type, and more. Kwik COD also allows sellers to apply different parameters to tailor the customer experience. Offering the most relevant shipping options can enhance the customer experience and reduce the chance of cancelled orders.

Another feature that sets the Kwik COD app apart is discounts, a powerful weapon for brands to leverage. When used correctly, discounts can attract new audiences, earn repeat customers, create a sense of exclusivity, improve the abandoned cart recovery rate, and increase the average order value. The Kwik COD app offers a range diverse discount options, including-

01. Attractive discounts on bulk purchases.

02. Bundled offers on the purchase of multiple items

03. Free gifts on qualifying purchases. 

04. Capped discount limits to manage business profitability

Making COD affordable

For small businesses, every rupee counts. Companies can struggle with additional costs associated with COD in the early stages. The Kwik COD app offers a competitive pricing structure that enables small and emerging businesses to leverage COD. 

01. Ecommerce brands can leverage the effectiveness of the Kwik COD app without paying any charges to GoKwik for the first three months. (This is an exclusive offer only for merchants on Basic and Shopify plans). 

02. After the initial three months, brands can process up to 1,000 COD orders per month for free.

03. A minimal charge of 0.5% on COD orders beyond the free threshold ensures that the service remains affordable and cost-effective.

Get started in 60 seconds

The Kwik COD app is designed to make cash on delivery seamless for online sellers. One of its standout features is the swift installation process. Users can install the app in a mere 60 seconds and get started. Furthermore, the user-friendly interface makes using the app a breeze.

GoKwik’s Kwik COD app makes cash on delivery a boon for merchants across the Shopify platform. To know more about the app,