Failed Deliveries
Answer Failed Deliveries Before the Parcel Comes Back
A failed delivery is not a lost order yet. Mercayo puts every one in a single queue with the courier's reason and the deadline, so your team can answer in time and turn it into a delivered parcel.
- In every plan
- Free for 14 days
Kosha is a demo store on Mercayo. Its products, orders and customers are sample data.
In short
What It Does
When a courier reports that it could not deliver (a non-delivery report, or NDR), the parcel appears in Shipments → Failed Deliveries, opened from the courier's own update with nothing for your team to type.
The Queue
Four tabs show where each case stands:
| Tab | What Is in It |
|---|---|
| Needs Action | Cases waiting for your answer |
| Sent to Courier | Cases you answered, waiting for the courier's next update |
| Delivered | Parcels delivered after a failed attempt |
| Returned | Parcels coming back, or back, to you |
Each case shows the order, the courier's reason ("Customer not available", or "The courier gave no reason"), the number of attempts, when it was reported, and Answer by, the courier's deadline when the courier gives one. A passed deadline is marked Deadline passed.
Your Three Answers
Your answer goes to the courier at once, through your connected Shiprocket account (with Shipway, answer it in Shipway → NDR):
- RE-ATTEMPT: the courier tries again, on its next round or on a Preferred Date you pick because the shopper asked for one.
- UPDATE CONTACT: give the courier the right Phone Number (10 digits, or +91 and 10 digits), a better Address with a landmark, or both, and they try again with it.
- RETURN TO ORIGIN: the courier stops trying and brings the parcel back. This cannot be undone, and couriers usually charge for the return.
If the courier refuses an answer, the case goes back to Needs Action with the courier's words ("The courier refused: …"), and if the courier cannot be reached, nothing is lost: the case stays open for you to try again in a minute. A case someone else on your team has already settled says so instead of sending twice.
When It Fails Again, or Comes Back
Each new failed attempt is counted once, reopens the case under Needs Action with the new reason, and needs a new answer. When the courier delivers, the case moves to Delivered and the order to delivered. When the parcel heads back, the case moves to Returned.
When a cash on delivery parcel reaches you again, the order becomes returned to origin on its own: its stock goes back, the GST credit note is issued, and the returned parcel is counted in the shopper's record, so your team sees it next time that number orders cash on delivery. A prepaid parcel that comes back is marked on the shipment, and the refund is your team's call, from the order.
Never Unseen
A failed delivery is also counted on your Home screen, appears in the bell's feed, and shows as "failed delivery" on the Orders list's On the Way tab. A parcel's own page under Shipments says "Delivery failed" with a link to answer it.
For your store
Why It Matters
Most failed deliveries are fixable: a shopper who was out, a missing floor number, a phone that was switched off, an office that closed early. Each one you answer in time is a parcel that does not travel back, and an order you keep.
That matters more with cash on delivery. A refused or unanswered COD parcel costs you the delivery both ways, the packing, and the sale. A quick call to the shopper, then a re-attempt on the day they will be home, saves many of them.
Couriers give only a short window to answer. One queue with deadlines, inside the admin where your team already works, instead of emails and a courier website, is what makes answering in time possible for a small team. The counts on the Home screen and the bell mean nobody has to remember to look.
And when a parcel does come back, the paperwork is done for you: stock, credit note and the shopper's record are updated in the same moment, so your books stay right and your next COD decision about that shopper is better informed.
Step by step
How It Works
Ship Through Shiprocket
Failed deliveries arrive from parcels made with shipping labels through your connected Shiprocket account, whose updates reach Mercayo by its webhook. Parcels you ship yourself, outside Shiprocket, do not open cases.
Open Failed Deliveries
From Shipments → Failed Deliveries, the count on your Home screen, or the bell. Needs Action lists the open cases, with their reason, attempts and Answer by deadline. Start with the ones whose deadline is nearest.
Call the Shopper First
The case links to the order, with the shopper's phone and delivery address. A quick call often tells you what to ask the courier: a better time, a missing landmark, a different number to call, or that they no longer want it.
Send Your Answer
Press RE-ATTEMPT (with a Preferred Date if the shopper gave one), UPDATE CONTACT (a new phone number, a fuller address, or both, then SEND TO COURIER), or RETURN TO ORIGIN. The answer goes to the courier at once and the case moves to Sent to Courier. If the courier refuses it, the case comes back to Needs Action with the courier's reason.
See How It Ended
The courier's next updates settle the case: Delivered when the parcel reaches the shopper, Returned when it heads back to you. A further failed attempt reopens the case with one more attempt counted, ready for a new answer.
Check Returned Orders
A cash on delivery order that comes back is marked returned to origin on its own, with stock and the credit note done. For a prepaid parcel that comes back, open the order and use REFUND to pay the shopper back, choosing whether the items go back into stock. See returns and refunds.
Your shoppers
What Your Shoppers See
The shopper deals with the courier as usual, and your store's tracking page keeps them informed: a failed attempt shows as "Delivery attempt failed" in the timeline, with "The courier couldn't deliver: customer not available. They'll try again, or the store will contact you." When the parcel is out again it shows "Out for delivery", and if it comes back, "We could not deliver this order, and it is on its way back to us."
Settings
Settings You Control
Each one is in your admin. A new store starts with the value shown.
Nothing to set up: it works the same way in every store.
Mercayo
Mercayo's Controls
Mercayo's team does not answer cases for you, and never calls your shoppers. Who on your team may answer is decided by your staff roles, checked by the database: answering needs the right to edit orders, and the queue is visible to anyone who may see orders. The courier sign-in used to send your answers is your own Shiprocket API user, stored encrypted and never shown. Every answer is recorded with who sent it and when.
Limits today
Good to Know Before You Start
- Failed deliveries come only from parcels shipped through a connected courier account (Shiprocket or Shipway).
- With its switch on, shoppers answer a failed delivery themselves on their order page (another day, or a new mobile or address); a return to you is never offered to them.
- Answers through Shipway are made in Shipway → NDR; Mercayo keeps the case open for your team.
- Mercayo never calls shoppers about a failed delivery: your team does. With the shopper's answer switched on, Mercayo emails them a link to answer.
- The deadline is shown only when the courier gives one.
- A prepaid parcel that comes back is not refunded on its own; your team refunds it from the order.
Questions
About Failed Deliveries
Where do failed deliveries come from?
From Shiprocket's updates for parcels you shipped through Mercayo. When an update says the delivery failed, a case opens in the queue with the courier's reason. Your team does not create cases by hand, and nothing needs to be checked on Shiprocket's website.
What if I miss the deadline?
The case shows that the deadline passed, and you can still send an answer: the courier decides whether to act on it. Couriers usually send the parcel back after their last attempt; the case then moves to Returned, and a cash on delivery order is marked returned to origin.
Can I change the delivery address?
Yes. UPDATE CONTACT sends the courier a corrected phone number, a fuller address with a landmark, or both, and the courier tries again with it. The phone number must be 10 digits, or +91 and 10 digits.
What happens when a parcel comes back?
For a cash on delivery order, Mercayo marks it returned to origin when the courier reports it back with you: the stock goes back, the GST credit note is issued, and the shopper's record counts the returned parcel. You can also press RETURNED TO ORIGIN on the order page yourself. A prepaid order is refunded by your team from the order.
Does a returned parcel affect the shopper's next order?
Their customer record shows how many of their orders came back, and the order page shows it beside a new order, so your team can decide whether to call before shipping. Customers with many returned parcels also appear in the RTO-Prone group of your customer list.
Can two people answer the same case?
Only one answer is sent. If a colleague has already settled the case, the screen says it was already settled and shows the list as it is now, so the courier never gets two different instructions.
Related
Related Features
- Shipping LabelsSelect orders, press GENERATE LABELS, and each gets a courier by your rule and an AWB, with one PDF of labels to print and pickups booked if you want.
- Order TrackingShoppers follow their order on your store's own page: order steps, the courier's timeline, the AWB, documents, and messages from your team.
- COD Confirmation CallMark new cash on delivery orders Unconfirmed until your team has phoned the shopper, with a warning when the shopper has refused parcels before.
- Credit NotesWhen an invoiced order is cancelled, comes back undelivered or is refunded, Mercayo issues the GST credit note itself, once, for exactly what was taken back.
- CustomersEvery customer with their orders, spending and returned parcels, guests included, ready-made segments like VIP and RTO-Prone, tags, notes, credit and export.
More in Shipping: Delivery Charges · Delivery Dates by PIN Code · Shipping Labels · Order Tracking · Exchanges · Returns and Refunds · Packing Slips
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