It’s not possible to over-communicate with customers about fulfillment and their orders in transit, says David Cost, vice president of ecommerce and marketing at Rainbow Shops. And keeping customers in the loop is even more important around the holidays, when shoppers likely have a specific date they need an order by.    

“The more communication, the better. Customers want to know everything,” Cost says.   

Rainbow accommodates this consumer desire for up-to-date information by reaching them in several ways. The apparel retailer sends customers notifications via email, SMS and app push notifications, when it has permission.    

Typically, Rainbow’s customers want to know when an order is received, when it ships, and when it has been delivered, Cost says. Rainbow sends notifications for each of these events.    

“The more things we can do to make the customer comfortable, the happier they are and the less calls we get into customer service,” he says.   

Cost declined to share specifics on how many fewer calls Rainbow receives thanks to accurate order tracking.   

Rainbow’s communication philosophy fits in the larger shift in consumer expectations toward greater transparency and more information, particularly as they shop online more than ever. Most merchants are all too familiar with the acronym WISMO (where is my order?). Inquiries related to this question make up about 50% of customer service calls, according to survey data of 1,000 consumers from logistics software vendor Elite Extra.