NetDespatch has revealed the results of its 2019 UK Delivery Report, which found that just 3% of respondents believe that same-day delivery is a must-have.
The report is based on a survey of 2,013 UK adults who have received deliveries in the past six months. It was carried out by independent research organization Opinion Matters and examined consumer sentiment around parcel delivery choices, exploring what consumers want from a positive delivery experience and what suppliers actually deliver.
Other key findings include that 82% prefer goods to be delivered to their home address, 62% are happy with delivery in 2-5 days, and 48% are not in favor of more self-service options.
Commenting on the figures, Matthew Robertson, co-CEO of NetDespatch, said, “The results expose the myth that consumers want ever-faster deliveries and multiple self-service delivery options. This should be a welcome reality check that what customers primarily want is to know that their order has been successfully taken and delivered, and when they can expect their parcel.”
Asked what makes a positive delivery experience, 96% of respondents said order confirmations were fairly or very important, 91% valued a predicted delivery window and 92% said delivery confirmations were fairly or very important. Less value was placed on options such as inflight redelivery, which 46% said was not at all or not very important to them.
Robertson added, “In the light of these consumer preferences the question is whether, by focusing obsessively on delivery speed and offering more and more out-of-home options, the industry is unnecessarily setting itself up to fail? Our survey indicates that UK consumers prefer straightforward delivery-to-home in a one-to-five-day timeframe at a time that suits them. They want an accurate service that tells them when to expect their delivery. They are not looking for alternative options such as parcel locker or in-boot delivery. These have become red herrings that distract from what the customer really wants from parcel delivery.”
