Delivery experience platform Sorted’s latest research has revealed that 42% of consumers say they missed approximately three deliveries due to miscommunication by couriers or brands during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A further 63% of respondents stated that they expect to be out of the house more often with pandemic restrictions now beginning to lift (rising to 77% of those aged 18-34), with consumers now expecting retailers to focus on improved communication and a better-connected delivery experience to alleviate these concerns. The study, conducted by Opinium and involving 2,000 UK respondents, also found that one in five UK residents are now less likely to order online after a single negative delivery experience.
Furthermore, 22% of respondents stated that they now anticipate missing deliveries, or believe that packages will be left outside homes more often, as the UK returns to a new form of normality following the lifting of restrictions on July 19. Missing deliveries due to brands’ poor communication is most common in London.
“Brands need to work smarter than ever to ensure consumers are kept updated, with this research showing that delivery communications are still clearly inconsistent and detrimental to a customer’s experience,” commented David Grimes, CEO, Sorted.
“After 18 months of people being home to receive parcels, we need to avoid the inevitable ‘parcel panic’ as people go back to their normal lives, when they leave the house more and worry about when their parcel will arrive.”
“In the new e-commerce experience economy, our research has revealed there’s a great opportunity for brands to differentiate themselves by owning the delivery experience end-to-end and connecting more with customers across the whole journey,” explained Grimes.
“With real-time tracking and personalized comms available to enhance the customer delivery experience, there’s no reason why brands should make customers rely on text or email communications alone. With the rate of e-commerce growth unlikely to slow down, retailers need to create customer confidence regardless of where and how people decide to shop.”