Order Confirmation
What confirmation rate should I aim for on COD orders?
Direct answer
Aim to get a clear yes or no from at least 85% of COD orders. Stores confirming manually by phone commonly reach only 55-70% of customers, while structured WhatsApp confirmation with timely follow-ups commonly reaches 85-92%. The remaining silent orders should be held, not shipped.
What "confirmation rate" means
The share of COD orders where the customer gave you an explicit answer (yes or no) before shipping. Both answers count as success: a fast cancellation saves you the same freight as a confirmed delivery earns you.
The benchmarks, honestly stated
These ranges are commonly reported across COD-heavy markets rather than one audited study, so treat them as orientation, not physics:
- Manual phone calls: 55-70% of customers reached.
- WhatsApp with instant send and two follow-ups: 85-92% answered.
The gap comes down to timing and convenience. A message sent within minutes of checkout catches the customer mid-excitement, and answering "YES" takes two seconds at any hour. ReplAi merchants typically land at the top of that range, because the confirmation goes out immediately around the clock and follow-ups never get forgotten.
How to raise your rate
- Send instantly after checkout, not in batches.
- Keep the question binary: YES or NO, nothing to fill in.
- Follow up twice on silence, once after hours, once next day.
- Write in the customer's language: Arabic or Franco for most of Egypt, not formal English.
- Never ship the silent remainder; that discipline is where the RTO savings live.
Last updated 2026-07-09