Delivery costs and surprises are the biggest reason for cart abandonment, according to latest research. But why? Are retailers really still not getting the message that customers don’t like surprises when it come to delivery? If not take heed now.
Offering great prices and great product means nothing if it’s not until the checkout page that the customer is surprised (in a bad way) by some sort of aspect around delivery – whether it’s limited options or simply unexpected expense. Be brave retailers and shout about delivery early. It was a key theme of the recent Delivery Conference and yet it’s still happening all too often.
Of course one of the nastiest surprises can be when a delivery simply doesn’t turn up – or is late. For smaller retailers at least the estimate is that this is costing SMEs £183,000 a year in the UK with 73% of shoppers affected by lost or late deliveries – another figure that simply has to come down for customers to be able to better trust in delivery.
When it comes to high value ecommerce there is an even greater reason for a top-notch experience and in our opinion piece this week Nick Cullen, managing director of DX Express, suggests his top tips for delivering a superior service that is required of more expensive items.
One company that is getting delivery right is Ocado. In its latest year-end results this week the grocer and technology giant revealed a 95% punctuality rate and order accuracy of 98.8% – both factors that will be continuing to drive its growth.
Ocado is proof that getting the final mile right pays huge dividends in both customer satisfaction and commercial success. Naturally this makes the final mile an obvious focus for this year’s eDelivery Expo which will be held at the NEC in Birmingham 21-22 March. The event includes a conference track dedicated to the final mile with Ocado one of the key speakers at the event.
And finally this week we have news of Prism DM rebranding as Whistl Fulfilment. It follows the company’s purchase by Whistl last summer.
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