What is WISMO?

The primary cause of WISMO inquiries is the “Information Gap” the distance between what the carrier knows and what the customer knows. While shipping delays are often blamed, the actual trigger is the uncertainty caused by a lack of updates. If a package is delayed but the customer is notified proactively, they are significantly less likely to call support. Inquiries typically spike during “limbo” periods, such as when a label is created but the package hasn’t been scanned, or when a package sits in a sorting hub for over 48 hours without a new scan event. Managing expectations through proactive communication is the most reliable lever way to address this root cause.

WISMO stands for “Where Is My Order,” and it pertains to the outbound shipment phase of the customer journey. WISMR stands for “Where Is My Refund” (or “Where Is My Return”) and occurs after a customer has initiated a return. While both are informational inquiries, they represent different operational failures. WISMO is usually a result of logistics and visibility gaps, whereas WISMR is often a result of slow warehouse processing of returns or delays in accounting workflows. Both metrics are critical to the post-purchase experience, but WISMO typically represents a much larger percentage of total support volume for the average merchant.

In a practical eCommerce environment, a 0% WISMO rate is virtually impossible. There will always be a small percentage of customers who prefer human interaction or who have unique delivery situations (such as a specific gate code issue or a localized delivery error) that automated tracking cannot solve. However, “functional WISMO” – the inquiries driven by a simple lack of status data—can be reduced by as much as 80% to 90% through the use of proactive notifications and high-quality self-service tracking pages. The goal is not zero inquiries, but the elimination of unnecessary, low-value inquiries that waste support resources.

Many customers call despite having a tracking link because carrier tracking pages are often confusing, ad-heavy, or provide data in technical jargon that is difficult to interpret. Additionally, carrier data often lags by several hours or even days. If a customer sees a status like “Exception: Arrived at Facility” without further explanation, they turn to the merchant to “translate” the carrier’s internal status. By providing a branded tracking page that simplifies this data into “human-readable” milestones, merchants can satisfy the customer’s need for information without requiring a support ticket.

The “Amazon Effect” has fundamentally reset consumer expectations for delivery transparency. Because Amazon provides “stops away” maps, delivery photos, and proactive notifications at every stage of the journey, consumers now expect this level of granularity from every merchant. This has made the “Standard” 10% WISMO rate of the past unacceptable. Modern consumers perceive a lack of information as a sign of a potential scam or a lost package. To stay competitive, independent merchants must provide a tracking experience that mimics the transparency of major marketplaces.

There is a common misconception that faster shipping equals lower WISMO. In reality, WISMO is driven by the gap between the promised delivery date and the actual visibility provided. A customer who chooses 10-day shipping but receives frequent, detailed updates will often have a lower WISMO propensity than a customer who chooses 2-day shipping and receives no updates for 36 hours. Uncertainty, rather than time, is the primary driver of anxiety. Brands that manage the “expectation window” effectively can maintain low WISMO rates even with longer transit times.

The “tipping point” for automation usually occurs when a brand reaches 5,000 shipments per month. At this volume, an 8% WISMO rate results in 400 tickets per month. Assuming a $6.00 cost per ticket, the brand is spending $2,400 monthly – or nearly $30,000 annually—on manual status updates. At this level, the cost of automated visibility software is typically much lower than the cost of the labor required to handle the inquiries. For enterprise brands at 50,000+ shipments, automation is an operational necessity to prevent support queue collapse.

Delivery exceptions – such as “Insufficient Address,” “Business Closed,” or “Held for Pickup” – are the single biggest generators of high-heat WISMO tickets. These events require immediate customer action but are often communicated by carriers in cryptic ways. When a customer sees an “Address Exception” on a carrier site, they often do not know how to fix it, so they call the merchant. Merchants who intercept these exception signals and send a “Plain English” SMS with instructions on how to resolve the issue can prevent these exceptions from turning into expensive support tickets or failed deliveries.

WISMO is a major “leaky bucket” for CLV. The post-purchase period is when a customer is most engaged with a brand. If that experience is characterized by anxiety and a lack of information, the likelihood of a second purchase drops significantly. Research suggests that customers who have a high-effort experience—such as having to reach out to support to find their order—are 4x less likely to be loyal. Reducing WISMO is not just a cost-saving measure; it is a critical retention strategy that protects the long-term value of the customer base.

Yes, there is a strong correlation between high WISMO rates and “Item Not Received” (INR) chargebacks. A customer who cannot get a clear, timely answer on their order status eventually loses trust in the merchant. To protect their investment, they contact their bank to dispute the charge. Many of these chargebacks are “preventable” because the package is actually in transit or sitting at a local post office. By resolving the information gap through better visibility, brands can stop the escalation path that leads from a simple inquiry to a formal financial dispute.

The “Label Created” status is the most common point of frustration because it implies a lack of progress. When a customer receives a “Your order has shipped” email but the tracking shows “Label Created” for more than 24 hours, they suspect the merchant is being untruthful about the shipment status. This “Processing Gap” suggests the package is sitting on a warehouse floor. To minimize this, brands should ensure their email triggers are synced with the carrier’s first physical scan, rather than just the printing of the shipping label.

International WISMO management requires a different strategy due to longer transit times and customs complexity. The “black hole” periods—where a package is on an ocean freighter or in a customs warehouse—can last for days without a scan. Without proactive messaging that explains these international-specific delays, customers will assume the package is lost. Additionally, managing “Duty Unpaid” (DDU) shipments requires proactive education so customers understand they must pay local taxes before delivery. Transparency in international logistics is the only way to keep WISMO rates manageable across borders.