Parcel and Postal Technology International
  • News
    • A-E
      • Automation
      • Business Diversification
      • Construction / Development
      • Cross-border
      • Delivery
      • E-commerce
      • Expo
    • F-O
      • Freight
      • IT & Systems
      • Last Mile
      • Lockers / PUDO
      • Logistics
      • Mail
      • Operations
    • P-R
      • Packets
      • Parcels
      • Peak
      • Retail
      • Returns
    • S-Z
      • Sorting Systems
      • Staff / Personnel
      • Sustainability
      • Technology
      • Vehicles / Fleet
  • Features
  • Online Magazines
    • March 2025
    • September 2023
    • June 2023
    • March 2023
    • December 2022
    • SHOWCASE 2019
    • Archive Issues
    • Subscribe Free!
  • Opinion
  • Videos
  • Analysis
  • Awards
    • 2025 Awards
    • Previous Winners
  • Supplier Spotlight
  • Parcel + Post Expo
LinkedIn YouTube Twitter
  • Sign-up for Breaking News Emails
  • Meet the Editors
  • Contact Us
  • Media Pack
Subscribe
LinkedIn Facebook
Parcel and Postal Technology International
  • News
      • Automation
      • Business Diversification
      • Construction / Development
      • Cross-border
      • Delivery
      • E-commerce
      • Expo
      • Freight
      • IT & Systems
      • Last Mile
      • Lockers / PUDO
      • Logistics
      • Mail
      • Operations
      • Packets
      • Parcels
      • Peak
      • Retail
      • Returns
      • Sorting Systems
      • Staff / Personnel
      • Sustainability
      • Technology
      • Vehicles / Fleet
  • Features
  • Online Magazines
    1. December 2024
    2. September 2024
    3. June 2024
    4. March 2024
    5. SHOWCASE 2019
    6. Subscribe Free!
    Featured
    April 2, 2025

    In this Issue – March 2025

    Online Magazines By Web Team
    Recent

    In this Issue – March 2025

    April 2, 2025

    In this Issue – December 2024

    December 5, 2024

    In this Issue – September 2024

    September 19, 2024
  • Opinion
  • Videos
  • Analysis
  • Awards
    • 2025 Awards
    • 2024 Award Winners
    • 2023 Award Winners
    • 2022 Award Winners
    • 2021 Award Winners
    • 2020 Award Winners
    • 2019 Award Winners
    • Previous Winners
  • Supplier Spotlight
  • Parcel + Post Expo
LinkedIn Facebook
Subscribe
Parcel and Postal Technology International
Opinion

What do consumers really want from their delivery experience?

Matthew Robertson, co-CEO, NetDespatchBy Matthew Robertson, co-CEO, NetDespatchJanuary 9, 20205 Mins Read
Share LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

Customer preferences, not speed, are king for delivery in the age of experience, according to Matthew Robertson, co-CEO, NetDespatch

We live in an age of experience. You don’t have to look far to find evidence that, going into 2020, customer experience is overtaking price and product as the primary brand differentiator. As e-commerce continues its upward trajectory, with almost 20% of all retail purchases in the UK now made online, a core part of that experience is when and how products are delivered.

Getting purchases to customers is a prime challenge for businesses and our latest research into the parcel delivery landscape in the UK, carried out in September 2019, explored whether they are successfully rising to it. We surveyed more than 2,000 adults to find out what they really want from their delivery experience and how this compares with what they are being offered. Here’s what we found…

Speed – it’s not the panacea for a good delivery experience
There’s an abiding assumption in our industry that customers want near-instant gratification when it comes to delivery, that faster is always better. However, when we asked our respondents how important delivery speed was, only 3% said they specifically wanted same-day delivery; 29% were happy with next-day delivery; and the majority – 62% – were quite happy with receiving their purchase in a two- to five-day window. Our findings tally with research from Apex Insight, which earlier this year found that customer take-up of same-day delivery currently stands at 1%.

So, there’s clearly a difference between ‘fast’ and ‘fast enough’ and it’s a distinction that businesses would be advised to respect to avoid focusing efforts, and budgets, in the wrong area.

What really counts for a good delivery experience are clear communications and predicted delivery slots. Some 96% of respondents said order confirmations were important in a positive delivery experience and 92% said the same about delivery confirmation. Nine in 10 respondents said a predicted delivery slot was important. Customers are more interested in ‘when?’ rather than ‘how soon?’ and it is clear that getting basic communications right is still a critical part of the delivery process.

Ignore customer preferences at your peril
Although consumers maybe more relaxed on speed of delivery, ignore their specific requirements and you’ll lose out; 41% say they will only buy from suppliers that offer their preferred options. These include delivery at a time when they will be at home and the option to have items delivered to a safe place or left with a neighbor.

When it comes to the thorny issue of missed home deliveries, it seems carriers can do better. Over half of respondents said that when they missed a home delivery, carriers didn’t follow their preferred options, instead leaving parcels in unauthorized locations, including a worrying 20% who said parcels were simply left on the doorstep.

These are not difficult issues for suppliers to rectify through better communication about preferences and ensuring that carriers subsequently following them. They are clearly important to buyers, so this is something that businesses should prioritize if they want to improve the delivery experience, and with it, the overall perception of their brand.

Home delivery remains favorite
The popularity of home delivery has waxed and waned over the years as more delivery options have been added to the menu, but our latest study found that having purchases delivered to the home is currently by far the preferred option; 82% of respondents said they prefer home delivery. In fact, only 15% of respondents had chosen to receive a parcel at their workplace in the month prior to our survey and, as a preference, only 10% wanted parcels delivered to their workplace. This could be a reflection of changing working habits – workers are far less tied to the office environment than they were and many more work from home at least part of the time, enabling them to more easily receive parcels.

Also notable was the lack of interest in alternative delivery options. Only one in five respondents had picked up purchases from a parcel shop and just 1 in 10 respondents had made use of parcel locker delivery in the previous month. This supports a general lack of interest in alternative self-service delivery options – 48% said they weren’t in favor of innovations such as in-boot and in-house delivery.

It’s all to play for in the competition of the carriers
The UK’s heritage delivery brand, Royal Mail, came out on top when respondents were asked if they had a preferred carrier due to delivery options, but they were chosen by only 23%. Half of respondents don’t have a preferred carrier due to delivery options, meaning there is room for a carrier to up their game and appeal to that 41% who won’t order from a supplier unless their delivery preferences are catered for.

Overall, our research showed that there is a disconnection between what is important to consumers, and what they are being offered. Speed is not as important as clear communication, delivery at a convenient time and taking the correct action when a delivery is missed. Customers are not generally interested in alternative delivery technologies and locations; they mostly want delivery to their home address, when it suits them. That is what they define as good customer experience.

Matching what customers want to what is provided is not a Herculean task; these are straightforward areas that can be improved. The challenge for retailers and carriers is resisting the seduction of the ‘faster, more innovative and unusual’ narrative and focusing, still, on getting the core proposition operating to a flawless standard.

Share. Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email
Previous ArticleWhy FedEx may be acquired by Amazon
Next Article PostNL Data Solutions initiative cuts cost of manual handling

Related Posts

Opinion

OPINION: How Chinese CEP giants are shaping the future of Europe’s last-mile logistics

May 14, 20255 Mins Read
Opinion

OPINION: The impact of open smart locker networks on the future of parcel logistics

April 23, 20254 Mins Read
Opinion

OPINION: The challenges of expanding out-of-home delivery in the UK

April 2, 20255 Mins Read

Receive breaking stories and features in your inbox each week, for free


Enter your email address:


Latest News

Canada Post workers threaten more strike action

May 21, 2025

DP World to invest US$2.5bn in logistics infrastructure in 2025

May 21, 2025

Evri accelerates parcel deliveries in Republic of Ireland with multimillion-pound Coll-8 acquisition

May 21, 2025
Getting in Touch
  • Contact Us / Advertiser
  • Meet the Editors
  • Download Media Pack
  • Breaking News Emails
Our Social Channels
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
Supplier Spotlights
  • Interroll
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Notice & Takedown Policy
  • Site FAQs
© 2025 UKi Media & Events a division of UKIP Media & Events Ltd

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie records the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie records the user consent for the cookies in the "Analytics" category.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe GDPR Cookie Consent plugin sets the cookie to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie records the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie stores user consent for cookies in the category "Others".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie stores the user consent for cookies in the category "Performance".
elementorneverThe website's WordPress theme uses this cookie. It allows the website owner to implement or change the website's content in real-time.
JSESSIONIDsessionNew Relic uses this cookie to store a session identifier so that New Relic can monitor session counts for an application.

Functional

Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.

CookieDurationDescription
__cf_bm30 minutesCloudflare set the cookie to support Cloudflare Bot Management.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

CookieDurationDescription
CONSENT2 yearsYouTube sets this cookie via embedded YouTube videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
uidsessionThis is a Google UserID cookie that tracks users across various website segments.
vuid1 year 1 month 4 daysVimeo installs this cookie to collect tracking information by setting a unique ID to embed videos on the website.
_ga1 year 1 month 4 daysGoogle Analytics sets this cookie to calculate visitor, session and campaign data and track site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognise unique visitors.
_ga_*1 year 1 month 4 daysGoogle Analytics sets this cookie to store and count page views.

Advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.

CookieDurationDescription
OAGEOsessionOpenX sets this cookie to avoid the repeated display of the same ad.
OAID1 yearCookie set to record whether the user has opted out of the collection of information by the AdsWizz Service Cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysYouTube sets this cookie to measure bandwidth, determining whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSCsessionYoutube sets this cookie to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.
yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.
yt.innertube::nextIdneverYouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
yt.innertube::requestsneverYouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.

Others

Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.

CookieDurationDescription
VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA5 months 27 daysDescription is currently not available.

SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by