Snowy conditions compromise online deliveries

Tuesday, April 3, 2018 - 11:17 by David Aiken

February was a rough month in terms of weather, with snow and ice creating problems for delivery firms attempting to fulfil orders made via safe shopping online.

This is highlighted in new figures from IMRG which show that there was actually a drop in the number of deliveries which were made on time over the course of the month when compared with January’s performance.

Logistics firms not only had to cope with a seven per cent rise in the volumes of deliveries they were having to handle, but also the sporadic and often incredibly disruptive conditions created by the Beast from the East, according to Internet Retailing.

Report spokesperson, Andrew Starkey, said that while January had seen a surge in online spending and a 90 per cent success rate for on-time deliveries, this slid to 88 per cent the following month as snowfall got in the way of drivers across the UK.

Experts argue the rest of 2018 could be fairly muted in terms of consumer spending, with confidence levels remaining rocky and a level of caution permeating the entire country. While cheaper prices available via safe shopping online will help in some areas, issues with delivery might make people less willing to buy from e-commerce sites.

The wintry weather may have dissipated, but there are still circumstances in which poor conditions can put paid to swift deliveries throughout the year. And Starkey is just one of the industry analysts who are worried about how retailers will manage customer expectations as a growing number of people choose next day and even same day delivery at checkout.

The fear is that if e-commerce sites make delivery promises that they cannot realistically fulfil, people will lose faith in online retail, or be less willing to buy big ticket items from the web.