Online retailers provide delivery options shoppers don’t want – and don’t offer the ones they do, according to new research from software company OrderDynamics.
From next-day delivery to in-store stock visibility, OrderDynamics has revealed retailers are disappointing consumers with a mismatch of the services they offer and the services customers expect.
According to the survey of 2,000 online shoppers and a benchmark study comparing the online stores of over 60 retailers:
• 54 per cent of online shoppers want a named delivery date, but only 15 per cent of retailers currently offer it. It is the most desired delivery option by customers, yet is one of the least likely to be offered by retailers.
• 61 per cent of retailers offer next-day delivery (the second most common delivery option after standard delivery), but only 10 per cent of shoppers are willing to pay extra for the service, which on average costs £6.
• 45 per cent of shoppers would prefer to see which nearest store has a product in stock, an option only 11 per cent of retailers currently offer.
Retailers have struck the right balance in one area, however.
32 per cent of respondents said they would use a click and collect service if it was available and half of online retailers provide this facility.
“This study reinforces a point that I talk with retailers about every day – customers do not see channels,” Kevin Sterneckert, chief marketing officer of OrderDynamics, says.
“They have one relationship with and one view of the retailer and they want to hear you say yes to their desires and deliver that experience now.
“Consumers are telling us the industry is not yet living up to the promises we’re making.”
You can download the survey, called Customer Relationships: The rules of attraction, here: http://tinyurl.com/n9h6abe
