This year’s peak is likely to see greater expectations around delivery from customers than ever, according to new research from MetaPack.
The company believes that this year customers will be more demanding in how, when and where they get their peak purchases delivered. “We think there will be less tolerance for longer or imprecise delivery time-frames and an expectation that retailers will still be able to fulfil options such as try-before-you-buy, delivery to neighbour and in-flight changes,” says Bruce Fair, chief revenue officer at MetaPack.
Based on previous trends, as well as delivery volumes the company is already seeing, Metapack said it expects a growth of around 20% from now until the end of the first week in January.
Recent research by MetaPack indicates that for at least 42% of consumers in the UK, Europe and the US, expectations and behaviour are different during Peak. This is particularly so for buyers aged between 18 and 38. While free delivery is likely to encourage more consumers to purchase during peak than any other factor, low cost and fast delivery are also important, and many consumers also want multiple delivery options and prices.
But retailers have to be careful since customers may well try new options during peak, according to Fair. “There’s a balance to be struck between managing capacity and taking advantage of increased consumer spending. Consumers are more, not less, likely to try new delivery options during peak in order to ensure they get their parcels when and where they want them. This requires retailers to offer a broad choice of delivery options to ensure conversion at this highly competitive time, and ensure they are supported by their carriers. It also means that retailers have an opportunity to impress customers with new options that they wouldn’t ordinarily choose.”
MetaPack will track the delivery volume changes through peak with a a separate Carrier Performance Heat Map which will illustrate how the top 10 UK carriers are performing in the run up to Christmas. Further details are available at http://www.metapack.com/peak-index-2017/
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