Delivery issues result in online shopping habit shifts

Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 10:25 by Graham Miller

Consumers in the UK are adjusting their strategies for carrying out safe shopping online this Christmas as a result of inadequate delivery experiences they encountered last year, according to a new report published by Which?

Ten per cent of the people questioned in the study revealed that there has been some kind of problem with the delivery of their goods in the run up to Christmas 2013, with about half of this impacted group saying that they would not be using the internet to order gifts this year.

It is perhaps impressive that only five per cent of people are going to be sticking to the high street rather than using the internet in some form ahead of Christmas. But clearly, it is also important for retailers to do more to prevent the delivery process being compromised.

Which? found that three quarters of consumers are in the dark about the rights that they have if they want to cancel an order placed via safe shopping online. Half of people also said that they do not know what action they can take if a package has been left with a neighbour, without the retailer or delivery firm first receiving their permission to do so.

About a third of people under the age of 34 said that they did not realise that if an item is delivered to them with signs of damage, the retailer is responsible for rectifying this situation. And it seems that younger consumers are less aware of their rights than their older, more experienced counterparts.

Missed deliveries cause the biggest amount of frustration among shoppers over the festive period and the report indicates that while e-commerce services are incredibly popular, actually receiving the goods can be harder than it should be.