Europe’s leading event for retail fulfilment, eDelivery EXPO, has released the results of its ‘The Importance of the Final Mile’ research, which looked into the perceptions and experiences of the delivery of goods purchased online by 2,000 consumers.
With the internet spending continuing to rise and the global parcel delivery market approaching $350 billion in 2017, it’s clear that delivery is a critical element of the overall customer experience. Around 93% of British people have ordered a product online within the last months and have had a recent interaction with a delivery company or courier, which, unfortunately, has not always been a positive experience.
The research shows that poor delivery practices have made 18% of respondents stop shopping with certain retailers, with only 4% of them turning to click and collect and 4% resorting to purchasing in-store. Moreover, almost a third (29%) of Brits admitted to telling a friend to avoid a particular retailer because of a bad delivery experience they have had.
When respondents were asked what they disliked most about shopping online, having to pay delivery fees was the second most irritating thing at 56%, after not being able to ‘experience’ the physical product. The inconvenience of returning items came in third (40%) and the hassle of having to be in for a delivery fourth (28%).
At the top of delivery annoyance sits having the wrong package delivered with 75%, closely followed by missed deliveries being returned to a depot far from the recipient’s home (74%). Damaged parcels comes a very close third (71%), with parcels left in inappropriate places at 53% and having to pay a premium for next day delivery at just under half of respondents (49%).
“These findings highlight that negative shipping experiences do more than simply cost retailers money due to increased costs of returns and logistics: they adversely affect repeat purchases and ultimately the lifetime value of the customer,” commented Darko Atijas, Sales and Marketing Director at Neopost Shipping Europe.
Delivery is a crucial aspect of the modern customer journey and it must ensure it is reliable, affordable, and it meets customer expectations.
