In this week’s newsletter we have a real focus on the consumer experience and how retailers need to be meeting their needs in all areas when it comes to the Christmas peak. But retailers are still failing to meet basic standards sometimes.
Research of social media reaction to the click and collect experience instore over the Black Friday period shows the problems that retailers not living up to delivery expectations can cause. The study showed that four out of ten of those who complained on social media about a poor click and collect experience over the recent Black Friday period also warned that they wouldn’t use the service or shop with the retailer again as a result.
It’s a mistake retailers can’t afford to make. Other than at peak customers are relatively happy with the service with nearly seven in ten of shoppers having used such services and 92% saying that they would repeat the experience and it obviously offers savings over home delivery.
AO will be hoping the service works for its business. The company has announced an extension of an agreement with CollectPlus for its new consumer technology range, offering shoppers the ability to pick up their parcels from locations within the CollectPlus network.
Shoppers are demanding though. They want convenience and speed and retailers, in their fight to win spend, are willing to give it to them – no matter at times at what cost. Research from ParcelHero this week suggests that retailers are pushing Christmas delivery deadlines later than ever – with a few retailers now even offering same day delivery for goods ordered on Christmas Eve.
Of course get the experience wrong and, as we’ve seen with the click and collect story there’s all hell to pay from consumers. Another story this week shows just how much time consumers spend sorting out delivery problems with a staggering 11.8 million hours spent by consumers to sort out parcels that don’t arrive, or that arrive broken. At a cost of £30 per parcel that’s a big cost.
And guess who gets the blame when things go wrong? The retailer.
Now if you are a retailer who things that you have got delivery sorted – or at least are putting a huge effort into doing the best you can to manage and beat customer expectations then I want to hear from you. eDelivery.net is currently working with NetDespatch on a new whitepaper that looks at how retailers are delivering what consumers want when it comes to delivery and we want your views.
If you are a retailer you can take our delivery expectations survey and share your views anonymously (and be in with the added bonus of the chance to win an iPhone 7), or email me on liz@edelivery.net to share your views more broadly. I look forward to hearing how you impress your customers!
And, in our final piece this week, we look once again at how to impress your customers – this time through your returns, with our latest in our series of returns opinion pieces. This week if comes from Kees de Vos of MetaPack and includes 5 top tips that you must follow.
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Thanks for reading and see you next week for the final eDelivery newsletter of 2016!
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