Retailers can retain online shoppers with delivery quality and outstanding customer experience, according to a MetaPack survey of consumers in Europe and North America.
Customers will stay loyal if retailers and brands get the basics right, meet expectations and enable customers to curate their own deliveries, the MetaPack 2018 State of eCommerce Delivery Consumer Research Report found.
In particular, delivery counts a lot when shoppers make purchasing decisions, according to the research, which was conducted online by Research Now with 3,597 consumers of all ages in Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK and the US in July 2018.
Key trends include:
* 75% of consumers have purchased more items to take advantage of a minimum spend ‘free delivery’ option
* 61% of consumers say a positive delivery experience incentivises them to shop with an eCommerce retailer again
* 49% of shoppers would prioritise shopping with one online provider over another if it offered a loyalty programme featuring free next day delivery
* 44% of consumers are tempted to try out new delivery options to take advantage of collection from a local pick-up point
* 54% now say that it is somewhat, or very important, they’re able to choose which carrier delivers their online purchases
* 77% of consumers are conscious of, or care deeply about the environment when thinking about how they receive their deliveries
In terms of delivery, most consumers now expect free delivery for their everyday purchases, and many identify slow delivery as a negative experience. Key findings were:
* 62% of shoppers said free delivery is the top consideration for the majority of purchases they make and 49% don’t expect to pay for standard delivery any longer
* 82% of US shoppers had purchased more goods to take advantage of free delivery
* 81% of Canadian and French shoppers and 80% of UK shoppers said free delivery would incentivise them to buy more online during peak sales such as Black Friday
* 70% of online consumers are prepared to pay extra to ensure speed and convenience, such as one-hour, same day or Sunday delivery
Given that consumers want choice in all aspects of their online purchasing experience, it makes sense that this now extends to being able to choose the carrier that is entrusted to deliver their goods. 41% of shoppers said the freedom to choose a last-mile carrier is very or somewhat important to them. This was extremely important to US (31%) shoppers, but less so for the Netherlands (5%) and UK (11%).
Green issues are becoming more prevalent amongst consumers and the impact of online deliveries on the environment is not going unnoticed. For example, 26% of consumers (including 41% in the US) said they care a great deal about how their online deliveries are contributing to increased carbon emissions and traffic congestion. Retailers can offer real differentiation if they provide eco-friendly delivery options such as consolidated delivery, the survey found.
The survey also found that many consumers are buying cross-border to secure bargains or purchase goods they cannot get at home, but they also want transparency over delivery costs.
* 49% of this year’s respondents had made between one and five overseas purchases
* The top barriers to cross-border shopping are expensive delivery (45%), slow delivery (28%) and having to pay for delivery (25%)
* North American shoppers are most diligent about extra charges with 83% of US and 80% of Canadian consumers checking if these will be applied to the goods they order, but French (43%), German (38%) and Dutch (38%) are most likely to abandon their basket if there is an unexpected charge for taxes
Delivery loyalty programmes are proving to hold strong consumer appeal, according to the research.
* Nearly half (49%) said that they would prioritise one eCommerce provider over another because of its loyalty programme.
* 65% would be interested in a loyalty programme where multiple brands and retailers worked together to offer a premium delivery service (73% of Spanish and 74% of US consumers favour the idea)
* 25% of shoppers are planning to join a delivery loyalty programme in the coming year
Meanwhile, online purchases of luxury goods are rising, driving luxury brands to differentiate their delivery options and providing a premium experience (e.g. two-hour delivery option, same-day concierge service), the survey showed.
