89 per cent of Londoners say delivery providers have an influence over their decision to purchase from a particular retailer, a survey by Brisqq has found. Given how important it is for their consumers, it is essential that retailers make the right decisions when it comes to delivery methods.
However more than two thirds (67%) of Londoners say time slots are too vague and almost a third (31%) feel that delivery options are not flexible enough to fit their lifestyles.
The survey found that more than half (54%) of consumers have a minimum expectation that retailers should offer deliveries that are within an hour of a requested, time, date and location with almost one-in-six (16 percent) expecting retailers to offer deliveries at an exact time of the customer's choice.
In addition to this, almost all (96%) respondents say that providing delivery at an exact time slot determines who they shop with.
The research, conducted by Vitreous World on behalf of Brisqq, surveyed 1,000 respondents across London to determine how shoppers feel about retail delivery services and how the availability of delivery options influences consumer spending behaviour.
Andrew Mukerjee, Co-founder and CEO, Brisqq said, "in the current retail climate, bricks and mortar stores need to provide more choice and flexibility if they want to remain relevant. The research highlights the growing demand for fast and flexible deliveries, likely because of the choice and convenience offered by e-commerce giants such as Amazon. This is often neglected when it comes to offline retail."
In addition to demanding more flexibility and speed, consumers indicated that they are also frustrated with inaccurate tracking systems. 79 per cent of Londoners reported that the delivery tracking of traditional services is not always accurate. These statistics reflect a clear gap between shoppers' expectations and the reality of what retailers have to offer via their fulfilment partners.
Andrew added, "retailers should consider the latest logistics technologies to meet shoppers' growing demand for flexible but accurate delivery. By using disruptive delivery technologies paired with crowdsourcing freelance 'couriers', retailers can begin to match shoppers' expectations for deliveries that are within an hour of their requested time, date and location. With over 60% of Londoners now using on-demand logistics services such as Deliveroo, Uber and Amazon Prime at least once a month, there is huge potential for the bricks and mortar retailers to win back customers if they get their delivery offering right."