Cash on delivery opens the door to customers who don't trust paying online, but it comes with a problem every merchant in Egypt knows: the customer orders and then refuses the delivery, or never answers the courier at all. Each time, you pay the shipping, your team loses time and the product is held back from a serious customer.
The good news is that a high refusal rate is not fate. Here are nine practical steps that reduce it noticeably.
Why do customers refuse orders?
Before the fixes, understand the most common reasons:
- The customer ordered on impulse and then changed their mind.
- The delivery fee showed up late or was higher than expected.
- The product arrived looking different from the photos or description.
- Delivery took too long, so they bought elsewhere.
- Fake or prank orders from accounts that were never serious.
Each of the fixes below deals with one of these reasons.
1. Show the delivery fee before checkout
A price surprise at the door is one of the top reasons for refusal. Set the delivery fee for each governorate and city in your store so the customer sees it before pressing "Place order", along with a clear final total.
2. Ask for a deposit on products that are often refused
You don't need a deposit on everything. Ask for one on:
- High-priced products.
- Custom or made-to-order products.
- Governorates where you notice more refusals.
The deposit can be the delivery fee only, a percentage of the price or a fixed amount. A customer who has paid even a small part rarely refuses the delivery.
3. Offer online payment as a convenient option
Some customers choose cash only because it is the only option available. When you offer card or wallet payment through a payment gateway, or transfers through InstaPay, part of your orders turns into orders paid in advance.
4. Confirm every order before you ship it
A short call or a WhatsApp message before shipping exposes most orders that aren't serious:
"Hello Mr. Ahmed, this is ... store. To confirm your order: a black dress, size M, 650 EGP in total including delivery, delivered within 2 to 3 days. Shall we confirm the shipment?"
If the customer doesn't answer after two attempts, hold the shipment instead of paying to ship an order that most likely won't be received.
5. Keep the product page honest and detailed
A product that arrives "different from the photo" gets refused even when the customer is serious. Make sure you have:
- Real photos of the product, not heavily edited supplier photos.
- A clear size chart.
- The material and color described as they really are.
6. Ship fast and keep the customer informed
The longer the time between order and delivery, the more likely the customer changes their mind. Ship within a day or two if you can, and message the customer when the order ships, with a tracking number if there is one.
7. Watch for patterns in your orders
Review your refused orders every week:
- Do they keep coming from one product? The description or photos may need changing.
- From one area? Consider asking for a deposit there.
- From the same phone number? Be careful with it next time.
8. Write a clear exchange policy
A customer who knows they can easily swap the size is less likely to refuse the whole order at the door. Put your exchange and return policy on a clear page and mention it on the product page.
9. Build the cost of refusals into your prices
Even after all these steps, some refusals will remain. What matters is that they are accounted for in your price. If your refusal rate is 15%, you pay shipping on 15 out of every 100 orders with no profit. Run the numbers in the profit calculator and see how your profit changes as the rate drops.
The bottom line
You won't reach zero refused orders, but combining a clear price, smart deposits, order confirmation and online payment as an alternative is enough to cut the losses noticeably. Start with just two steps this week, and measure the change in your refusal rate after a month.
