The majority of UK online shoppers are satisfied with the delivery of their orders but would like to have more delivery information before purchasing items and during transportation as well as better quality of returns, according to the latest survey by the British e-commerce association IMRG.
The seventh annual IMRG UK Consumer Home Delivery Review 2015, supported by Blackbay, showed that the overall satisfaction with the online delivery process remains consistently high at 82% among the British e-shoppers while delivery concerns show a steady downward trend. However, the provision of delivery information and the quality of the returns process are the two key areas where they would like to see improvements.
The respondents surveyed named ‘pre-purchase’ delivery information as an important factor allowing them to make the right delivery choice rather than abandoning their shopping basket because the right options are not available or additional delivery costs are too high. After purchasing a product via internet, a vast majority (85%) value ‘in-transit’ delivery information so they know when their order will arrive which they can then defer or divert to a time or place more convenient, if needed.
Another important delivery component and issue is returns, with the overall satisfaction in this area falling to 61% from 68% in 2014. 78% of the online shoppers surveyed cited the quality of the returns service as essential when deciding who they want to buy their products from.
The IMRG report further revealed that Click & collect has established itself as a recognised delivery option for 98% of respondents, with over 60% having used it to receive an online order, either from the retailer’s own store or through a third party parcel store or locker network.
Andrew Starkey, head of e-logistics at IMRG, said: “While overall satisfaction with online fulfilment has remained consistent over the past few years, the delivery experience has become a key differentiator for customers – with 70% confirming that a good delivery experience will help keep them loyal to a particular retailer. It is therefore important for industry to keep innovating to keep pace with evolving customer demands – click and collect is a good example of how customers will adopt new solutions if they greatly aid convenience, with 60% now saying they have made use of the option.”
Nigel Doust, CEO at Blackbay, highlighted the need for delivery companies to put their customers in control of their deliveries so they can be confident that the delivery will be made when they expect it. “Smart delivery companies are already deploying software solutions to give their customers control of their deliveries by enabling them to track a delivery, change a delivery time or place up until the final minutes of delivery, deliver during a specific time slot, delivery to a safe place/neighbour, etc. However the important thing is that customers understand exactly what kind of delivery service they are paying for and have the confidence that the order will be delivered, with visibility throughout the delivery journey.”
Headquartered in London, Blackbay is a leading provider of mobility-enabled solutions for the transport and logistics industry. The company’s configurable end-to-end products enable delivery companies to work smarter ensuring that they can provide a first time, on time, every time delivery. Blackbay operates across APAC, EMEA and the USA, supporting over 145,000 drivers delivering more than 6 million deliveries per day.
