How Soon Do People Want Their Parcels Delivered?
If you’re placing an order online, then there’s an inherent delay between the point of purchase and the point of actually receiving the item. Advances in logistics have reduced the delivery time impressively, and sites like Parcel2Go allow customers to pick the fastest courier available. But just how fast is enough for the customer?
You might suspect that every customer would want their package delivered in as short a time as possible. But, according to research from NetDespatch, just 3% of those asked stated a preference for same-day delivery – which would suggest that urgency isn’t such a big consideration when compared with other requirements.
What about Parcel Location?
One of the big advantages of modern online shopping is that the customer is free to choose where they’d like their purchase to show up. But this is a luxury exercised only by a few; around 82% of those polled preferred goods to be delivered to a home address. Those who weren’t in might elect to have the package shipped to a neighbour, or to a place of work.
The modern practice of having items delivered to a public locker is something that’s mostly popular in inner cities, where those lockers can be easily accessed during a commute, for minimal disruption.
48% of those questioned by the NetDespatch researchers found that they are not actually in favour of more delivery locations – but the remaining 52% favoured everything from lockers to in-boot delivery to robot delivery via drone.
It’s about options
What the research makes clear is that customers have varying tastes and priorities, and value choice when it comes to their home delivery. Giving them the option to go for a slower delivery if it means paying less (or even paying nothing), is going to allow you to appeal to everyone. Many new online storeowners make the mistake of offering every customer free delivery; this is a mistake, as not everyone wants delivery to be free if it could be fast, instead. Similarly, it’s a mistake to offer fast delivery to customers who really would prefer cheap delivery.
Knowledge is power
What everyone agrees on is that information is valuable. 96% want an email confirmation the moment that their order goes through; 92% and 91% wanted confirmation of delivery and a deliver time-slot respectively.
Are customers happy?
Customers have a better experience with online shopping and delivery than they ever have done – and yet they are still dissatisfied in several measurable ways. Among the most galling of these is the practice of leaving packages on doorsteps – which leaves them vulnerable to thieves. This is a bigger problem in some parts of the country than others, and it’s difficult to see how it can be solved given the time constraints that many couriers are working under. If you have to deliver sixty packages in an hour, it’s unlikely that you’ll be stopping to check with neighbours, or for a safe place behind the bin.
Customers who face this problem are advised to leave their porches unlocked.
