Labeling specialist Avery has released the results of a new e-commerce and shipping survey demonstrating some of the UK’s preferences when it comes to online shopping.
The study of 2,000 British customers makes compelling reading for online businesses as almost a third of those surveyed said they would leave negative feedback or mention messy parcel packaging in an online review. More than 20% of respondents said messy or damaged parcels would lead to them wanting a refund and close to a third said they would feel like the sender wasn’t trustworthy or reputable.
Fiona Mills, marketing director at Avery UK, said, “We have long believed that the appearance and care put into a parcel can have a real impact on the way the recipient feels, and with this study we now know just how important this is for businesses. It particularly affects smaller online sellers, who rely heavily on positive feedback scores and reviews to drive sales. It’s not just about neatly packaging your parcel, it’s about preparing it appropriately for the journey and letting couriers and delivery people know how best to handle it with the proper warnings such as ‘Fragile, or ‘This Way Up’. Taking these precautions helps reduce the chance of negative feedback and shows the recipient you’ve taken every possible care over their order.”
Adding company branding to a parcel had a positive impact for 20% of respondents and a quarter said it made them feel like they’d purchased from a retailer that cares about them. The survey also found that including a ‘thank you’ card within the packaging made 60% of people feel valued. More than a third of respondents said receiving one of these would leave them keen to deal with the sender again.
“Taking time to get shipping right and packaged properly can be incredibly worthwhile, sending a message that you care about the recipient,” added Mills. “Our study found that close to half of Brits felt confident that if a seller had taken great care over a parcel’s packaging and labeling, the item inside would be good quality. It’s a simple but highly effective way to get customers in the right mind frame and ensure they feel positively about their order the moment the package arrives.”
Further strengthening the case for taking care over the shipping of online orders was the admission by nearly 40% of respondents that the way a parcel looks affected how they felt about the business that sent it. More than 60% of people agreed that a neatly printed label tells them that the seller is professional or has high standards. The survey also showed that the majority of recipients feel a sense of happiness when they receive a parcel.
“We’ve all experienced the excitement and anticipation of waiting for an online order to arrive, so it’s no surprise the majority of the public feel happy when they receive a parcel,” said Mills. “By spending some time on the shipping, this initial feeling of happiness is something online sellers can build on to increase the chances of a positive emotional reaction to their business. We’d advise starting with the basics of a neatly printed address and return address label. Using labels is an easy way to add company branding too, which our research has shown makes the sender appear trustworthy and reputable.”
June 1, 2016