More than half (53%) of UK shoppers expect to be given a delivery window of three hours’ duration, according to research from Ipsos, carried out for retail technology provider, Honeywell.
Almost all of the 800 adults surveyed (99%) expect deliveries to arrive within one week of ordering, 40% of respondents said they would pay extra for a designated delivery time, and 91% said they actively check for delivery options before placing an order.
The majority (57%) said current delivery options offered by retailers are not satisfactory, and more than half of respondents (51%) say it is often the case that ‘the parcel delivery reaches their home address when they are not at home and/or misses the appointment time’.
For orders requiring collection of the product, consumers expect travel distance to be short. Only one in 10 said that they would be willing to travel five miles to pick up their item, and four in 10 (39%) will only go as far as their nearest shop for collection. All of which bodes well for the emerging locker and secure doorstep box alternatives currently promoted by businesses such as InPost and PeliPod.
The use of drones does not feature prominently in consumer expectations.
- Eight in ten (79%) believe they will still receive items they buy online via courier.
- Four in ten (39%) expect to pick up items at an agreed third party location (parcel point, local shop, other).
- A quarter (23%) expect to pick items up at a post office or sorting office.
- 12% expect items to be delivered by drone or robot
The Honeywell research went on to say that 94% of respondents had ordered something online within the past three months, and nearly all (99%) expect to be conducting some form of online shopping over the next five years.
“It is crucial for online retailers to keep up with the fast-paced lives of their customers, which is why mobile technology plays a vital role for e-commerce,” said Jeff Taylor, director of Honeywell’s Transport and Logistics business in Europe, Middle East, Africa and India. “From the warehouse to delivery to post-sale satisfaction, both retailers and couriers have to work closely together to ensure a swift delivery and a positive shopping experience.”
“The state of e-commerce in the UK is on a hugely positive trajectory, but there is a clear indication that the modern day consumer is increasingly expectant of greater flexibility in product delivery,” agreed Mike Leyland, CIO of Hermes Europe & UK. “Firms need to be able to keep up with the 24/7 convenience of the online model or risk losing business to those that do. This is why innovative technology is going to play an even bigger role in the future of e-commerce.”
