Study Suggests That Speedy Deliveries Are Not Essential for Online Shoppers

Monday, November 25, 2019 - 10:46 by Graham Miller

A new survey commissioned by UPS has found that although the rise of next-day and same-day delivery has changed expectations around safe shopping online, plenty of people could still be cajoled into opting for something less immediate if other benefits were offered.

Reverting to a slower pace of home delivery might sound counter-intuitive, but a whopping 94 per cent of the 18,000 people questioned in the report said that they would be willing to take this route if there were suitable incentives to encourage this.

In terms of the features that might make this appealing, lower costs came top of the pile, although analysts also found that overall there is an eagerness amongst shoppers for greater transparency from retailers when it comes to the expenses associated with their e-commerce services.

The under-35s were found to be the most attached to the idea of fast home delivery, which is perhaps because this is the generation that has grown up with access to online shopping almost from the start.

The international study took in responses from people of various nationalities, with participants from the UK revealed to be the least interested in actually having to pay for shipping. A third of Brits questioned said that they would rather pick up goods via click and collect or choose a free delivery option if available than have to splash out for faster shipping.

If there is a minimum spend required to achieve free shipping, 35 per cent said that they would top up their baskets with more products in order to hit this rather than biting the bullet and paying extra for delivery.

Other incentives, such as receiving deals and cash off subsequent orders, were also popular amongst many of the people questioned.