Online buying continues to soar but too many consumers are still suffering delivery problems, according to Descartes Systems Group.
The logistics software firm has released findings from the ‘Online Buying Grows, But Too Many Consumers Still Experiencing Delivery Woes‘ report; its third annual consumer sentiment study of ecommerce home delivery.
The study shows 39% of respondents made more online purchases in the period surveyed this year compared to last year, and that 57% made purchases in at least one new product category this year.
But while consumers in every demographic are increasing the volume and frequency of their online purchases, 67% of those surveyed encountered delivery problems.
Delivery issues were also cited in the study as a potential barrier to future online buying.
When consumers were asked what would put them off making more online purchases in the future, 21% indicated they have had negative delivery experiences, 20% said deliveries are not reliable and 17% have been dissatisfied with the delivery process.
Additionally, 63% of those who experienced delivery problems took some form of action that had negative consequences for the retailer or delivery company (see graph left).
Chris Jones, EVP industry at Descartes, said: “While the third year of this study reveals the industry is achieving small, year-over-year improvements across a number of dimensions related to home delivery performance, the level of consumer dissatisfaction remains high. Mediocre delivery performance and inconsistent delivery experiences are, however, solvable problems.
“There are market-proven strategies, operational best practices and technology solutions that retailers and delivery companies can consider to cost-effectively provide an optimal home delivery experience tailored to consumers’ delivery preferences.”
The new Descartes analysis, carried out with Sapio Research, also examines how consumer behaviours and perceptions vary across demographics.
The full study, which surveyed 8,000 consumers in Europe and North America during the first three months of 2024, is available here.
