While some consumers (25%) name late deliveries as the most common cross-border delivery issue, 32% of shoppers say that a fast delivery would improve their last mile experience, says new report ‘Cross-border Ecommerce Shopper Survey’ by International Post Corporation (IPC).
Some 10% of the surveyed shoppers say that lack of scheduled convenience, that is knowing an exact time and date of when to expect a parcel, and “tracking” (8%) information can be mitigated by proving consumers (18%) with tracking information and “more choice in delivery times 15% and locations 10%.”
Some 33k adults across 41 countries were surveyed on their attitudes towards cross-border deliveries.
The report shows that the speed of delivery comes as the biggest factor in making or breaking the last mile experience. While sellers are responsible for providing consumers with tracking details of their parcels, what are the most convenient delivery locations?
More than half of polled shoppers (59%) said that their home, followed by a safe place at home (22%) is the most preferred delivery location. Some 18% of respondents cited that their office/ workplace and an alternative address (18%).
The report said that when compared convenience to usage, alternative delivery locations such as a safe place at home or alternative addresses are preferred by the consumer but are rarely used. On the other hand, delivery to a post office was the second most commonly used, but as a delivery location ranked only fifth in terms of consumer preference.
In the busy retail environment, delivery mishaps can often occur but it is the question of how to handle them so that a frustrated customer returns to purchase again from a seller. The report suggests that by knowing the most common cross-border issues and the way to improve them, merchants hold the key to customer satisfaction.
