More and more UK consumers are shopping online, and they increasingly expect retailers to provide more convenient delivery options to accommodate their busy schedules.
In fact, the three-hour delivery window has now become a standard expectation amongst the majority of UK shoppers, according to new research carried out by Ipsos Research on behalf of Honeywell.*
Almost all of the 800 adults surveyed (99 per cent) expected a delivery to arrive within one week of ordering, but the majority of respondents (53 per cent) now expect the estimated time of delivery to be precise within three hours or less. Some 40 per cent of consumers said that they would be willing to pay extra for the ‘perfect delivery’, in which they designate exactly where and when their parcel will be delivered.
“It is crucial for online retailers to keep up with the fast-paced lives of their customers, which is why mobile technology plays a vital role for e-commerce,” said Jeff Taylor, director of Honeywell’s Transport and Logistics business in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. “From the warehouse to delivery to post-sale satisfaction, both retailers and couriers have to work closely together to ensure a swift delivery and a positive shopping experience.”
The majority of customers (57 per cent) declared that the current delivery options offered by retailers are not satisfactory, and more than half of respondents (51%) say that it is often the case that ‘the parcel delivery reaches their home address when they are not at home and/or misses the appointment time’.
For orders requiring collection of the product, consumers expect the travel distance to be short. Only one in ten said that they would be willing to journey five miles to pick up their item, while four in ten (39 per cent) will only go as far as their nearest shop for collection.
The message for retailers is clear: companies that are unwilling to adhere to the consumer’s demands will face the consequences, with almost half (48 per cent) of UK shoppers admitting that they have abandoned their online shopping baskets owing to poor delivery options.
Since the vast majority (91 per cent) of consumers check delivery options prior to checkout, this shows a need for businesses to provide shoppers with convenient delivery options or risk being left behind, as online shopping takes increasing precedence in the lives of consumers.
[*Survey methodology: These findings reflect a poll conducted in the United Kingdom between 26 and 30 June 2014, by global research company Ipsos on behalf of Honeywell. The survey was fielded using the Ipsos Online Panel system. A sample of 800 adults aged 16-64 in the United Kingdom completed the survey online. The sample was weighted to reflect the general population based on the latest available census data. The precision of Ipsos online polls is calculated using a credibility interval with a poll of 1,000 accurate to +/- 4.0 percentage points.]
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