One in five online shoppers in the UK are experiencing problems with home delivery, with late deliveries the biggest issue.
Missed deliveries were also a major irritation, with 84 per cent of consumers believing that retailers should be held accountable for poor performance, even if they use third-party delivery firms.
Consumers are increasingly turning towards click and collect services with nearly half (48 per cent) using it in the last year, research of over 3,000 UK consumers from JDA software finds. Convenience (53 per cent) and cost (53 per cent) were the biggest reasons for doing so.
“Today‘s retail customer is demanding a seamless brand interaction. Those that fail to provide this risk damaging their brand and receiving rapid and negative exposure through social media. However, it is clear from the research that a significant number of online orders are failing at the final hurdle,” warned Lee Gill, vice president, retail strategy, EMEA at JDA.
Online retail rose 17 per cent in May year-on-year, according to IMRG as consumers bought TV sets for the World Cup as well as clothing and garden products as sunshine boosted sales.
Over half said they would choose a retailer that offers same day delivery over one that offers standard delivery. Most consumers (57 per cent) would be willing to pay between £1 and £5 for a same delivery.
Amazon offer free two-day shipping with its £79-a-year Prime membership, while online fashion retailer Zalando offers free delivery and returns for up to 100 days. High street giant Next offers next day delivery to home for £3.99 whilst rival H&M charges £3.90 per item regardless of size and weight and says customers can expect to wait up to six working days for home delivery.
When it came to home delivery, cost was the most important to over six out of ten (64 per cent) shoppers with convenience most important to over three out of ten (36 per cent.)
Gill concluded: “Increasing consumer demand and more intense competition is likely to result in greater fulfillment complexity. However, the challenge they face is ensuring that they can scale for future growth and deliver a truly consistent experience between their online and in-store operations.”
“The future promises to be more complex,” he concluded.
