Nearly half of customers (45%) will pay up to £6 extra for either specific delivery slots or faster delivery times. Yet that is despite almost two-thirds (65%) having had a bad delivery experience.
The conclusions come from the latest poll of consumer sentiment around delivery from enterprise solutions provider HSO.
Whilst the majority would pay between £3 and £6 the study showed that just over one in ten (13%) would pay between £6-10. However 8% said they would not pay anything for faster delivery.
Traditional frustrations around delivery were rife for those who had suffered a bad delivery experience. Of these more than a third (38%) said they had goods arrive late. Meanwhile nearly a quarter (22%) saw their packages left in the wrong place whilst others suffered the inconvenience of being told the courier had said the parcel was undeliverable – despite the shoppers involved being ready to receive the delivery.
The research also showed the popularity of click and collect with more than half (52%) of shoppers using click and collect up to 10 times in the past year.
Delivery related issues also topped the list when consumers were asked to choose their top two most valuable retail services at no extra cost. A free postal returns service, as well as same-day delivery came top of the list with 56% of the votes for each. Delivery within a two hour specified time frame was chosen by 53%, mobile experiences by 21% and loyalty programmes by 17%.
“The importance of consumers being able to benefit from a quick and hassle-free delivery service is clearly demonstrated,” said Hector Hickmott, sales director at HSO. “Shoppers are no longer satisfied with inaccurate delivery times and these results indicate that those retailers who can offer such services, even with an associated cost can seize the initiative,” he said.
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