Findings from the BearBox/TNS UK Consumer 2001 Home Delivery Survey

Press Release
February 2001

– Home Delivery has potential to grow dramatically in 2001
– 58% of consumers would increase use with more convenient delivery
Onus on retailers and fulfilment to improve delivery service levels

Findings from the BearBox/TNS UK Consumer 2001 Home Delivery Survey show that 27% of UK consumers, representing around 12 million customers, anticipate increasing their use of home delivery over the next 12 months, with just 4% expecting to decrease.

Carried out on 13th and 14th January 2001, the survey asked a representative sample of over 1,000 UK consumers about their experiences with home delivery as well as the key benefits they looked for and what would increase their use of home delivery.

Nearly a quarter of the population don’t like or hate supermarket shopping and an overwhelming 70% stated convenience and time-saving as key benefits to home delivery. With customer needs changing drastically in an increasingly time poor cash rich society, businesses are needing to fundamentally re-think services offered to their customers.

More than ever, there is a growing need for a shrewd solution to home delivery with 42% of home shoppers having had to collect missed deliveries from a Post Office or other depot, 25% on multiple occasions. What’s more, over 54% had waited in for a delivery in the last 12 months, 28% at least 3 times, while 31% had waited in for a delivery that failed to arrive.

"The findings show that the channel has enormous potential, and customers are very clear that above all they value the convenience that home delivery can bring them, but that all too often the convenience is undermined by fulfilment which fails to deliver," commented James Bates, BearBox Marketing Director.

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Asked what would increase their use of home delivery, a highly significant 58% of UK consumers, representing over 25 million customers, cited improved delivery convenience – be it reliability, better delivery times, or delivery speed. The key areas they defined break down as follows:

– Goods delivered within agreed time frame (32%)
– More convenient delivery times (31%)
– Faster delivery (28%)
– Lower delivery charges (33%)
– Easier returns of unwanted goods (31%)
– More choice of retailers and products (28%)

BearBox™ is currently running a major field of its secure, unattended home delivery system trial involving 50 consumers, 9 integrated partner retailers and 3 integrated national carriers.

BearBox will be launching a range of commercial products into the market with volume installation at consumers’ homes in the second half of 2001.

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For further information, transparencies, profiles and brochures, please call Dixon Clark or Niki Hunter at Gabrielle Shaw Communications on 0207-627-5800 or e-mail [email protected] , [email protected]. Or visit the BearBox™ website at www.bearbox.com.

Notes to Editor:

The BearBox™ itself is a secure, robust container for deliveries, which is conveniently located outside the home. The BearBox™ is wirelessly linked to the patented BearBox Management Centre (BMC™), which schedules deliveries and issues a unique access code for each delivery. The delivery is made, the goods are left securely in the BearBox™ and the customer is alerted via email or text message that their goods have arrived. The BMC masterminds the whole process from behind the scenes, providing a seamless experience for retailers, carriers and consumers.

To date, BearBox™ has linked up with top retailers including Boden, Bluebird Foodstore, SimplyOrganic, Whittard of Chelsea, Lastorders.com, Vitago, The White Company and the local dry cleaning specialist Spencers. Additionally BearBox is currently in talks with the major supermarkets, leading delivery companies including Royal Mail and a number of courier and despatch services.