Analysis: Control over delivery is a top priority for shoppers

If there is one antidote to the frequent chaos and speed of modern living, it is control. The mass of options and powers that technology has brought us is useful when that technology is a servant, not a master, and shopping is no exception.

Data compiled by Retail Week and Shutl supports this view. While shoppers are on the whole happy – 66% rate retailers’ delivery performances as eight out of 10 or above – there is a lot to get right, from covering the price of delivery, to how fast businesses get products to the door and how convenient they make the process.

Of the 2,000 people surveyed, 74% said they would shop online more often than they do at present if they were more in control of the delivery and it was generally more convenient.

This is especially crucial for younger shoppers – 90% of 18 to 24-year-olds say this is the case, compared with 60% of those aged 55 years and above. It’s a marked contrast and a consideration for retailers if they are to successfully tailor their offer to different demographics.

Convenience, clarity and control

From the first visit to a landing page, to payment, dispatch and taking receipt of goods, shoppers want convenience, clarity and control. For the retailer the challenge is to find the means to meet those ends.

When asked for more detail, respondents say better tracking of orders is a big help, enabling them to plan the rest of their day better, but the most important issue is timing.

Of the respondents, 91% say having an allocated time slot for delivery is the most important factor – an answer consistent across all age brackets.

Pioneered by grocery retailers, delivery of items purchased online at a particular time during the day is becoming increasingly popular among consumers and more prevalent across the industry.

Breaking the data down by region, control over delivery, via time slot or order tracking, is valued more among individuals who live in city locations across the UK – covering Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, London, Manchester and Sheffield within the confines of this study – rather than ‘out of city’ dwellers, with 79% (city) versus 64% (out of city) in favour of control.