UK online shoppers calling out for more flexible delivery options
Seven out of ten UK online shoppers want more flexible delivery options to be made readily available and two-thirds believe that retailers and delivery companies should work more closely to make deliveries as smooth possible. These were among the findings of a survey of 2,000 UK adults conducted by OnePoll on behalf of delivery specialist Sorted.
Almost half (46%) of shoppers said that convenience and personalisation of fulfilment were key factors in influencing their online buying decisions – and yet more than a quarter (27%) said they thought delivery was disconnected from the rest of the retail experience.
“Indeed,” said Sorted, “lack of convenience accounted for 25% of all failed online deliveries, due to shoppers not being able to change delivery options once an item had been shipped, underpinning the impact of not mirroring the fast and flexible fulfilment options that customers now expect.”
Almost a quarter (23%) said that they would like to see more progressive, location-based delivery options. These could include ‘to device deliveries’, where an order is delivered to a customer by geo-locating their smartphone, or kerb side fulfilment using their car’s Bluetooth location.
David Grimes, CEO at Sorted, commented: “Retailers no longer govern industry progress or change – instead, it is now in the hands of the consumer. Despite recent focuses on improving the delivery and fulfilment side of customer buying journeys, these findings highlight the worrying reality that shoppers are simply not satisfied with current levels of service.
“And this should be a great concern to retailers, as shoppers won’t remain loyal to brands if they aren’t offered convenient, cheap and enjoyable experiences right the way through their purchasing journey. For too long, delivery – the last point of interaction with the customer – has been inflexible and provided little value to the shopping experience. By ignoring consumer demands, such as a desire for more delivery options, retailers risk losing customers to competitors who are adapting to the needs connected shoppers.”
