Here’s what consumers like most about online delivery
A new survey reveals customer motivations and preferences for online delivery.
Consumers most like the convenience (57%) of the online buying and delivery model, followed by 49% who say the online ordering process has gotten easier, according to the third annual U.S. and European consumer sentiment study of e-commerce home delivery from Descartes Systems Group.
Another 48% say they like home delivery because they don’t have to go out of their way to pick online purchases up (more than one answer permitted). The percentage of respondents older than 65 citing convenience rose to 71%, while only 42% of respondents age 18-24 said they like the convenience of online delivery.
Online delivery issues
The "Online Buying Grows, But Too Many Consumers Still Experiencing Delivery Woes" also revealed that not all is well with online delivery. Two-thirds of survey respondents said they encountered delivery problems. And when asked what would put them off making more online purchases in the future, 21% indicated they have had negative delivery experiences, 20% said deliveries are not reliable, 17% have been dissatisfied with the delivery process and 16% say deliveries are not environmentally friendly.
More than six-in-10 (63%) of those respondents who experienced delivery problems took some form of action that had negative consequences for the retailer or delivery company.
Top delivery aspects
Security (84%) is cited as the most important aspect of the delivery process, up from 81% in 2023 and 74% in 2022. This is closely followed by cost of delivery (83%), which is up from 79% in 2023.
The most significant shift in 2024 is the increase in importance of handling returns (75%), up from 69% in both 2022 and 2023, respondents are also looking for ease of ordering and booking (78%) and the ability to track a delivery (76%).
Fifty-eight percent of respondents consider the environmental impact of buying online in 2024, down from 63% in 2023 and 65% in 2022. However, younger respondents are more concerned about environmental impact: 83% of consumers aged 18–24 and 71% of 25–34-year-olds consider the environment when purchasing items for online delivery, compared to just 43% of respondents over 65 years of age.
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Delivery models of interest
Innovative delivery models respondents expressed interest in include replacing multiple deliveries with one (67%), the ability to combine orders over a period into a single delivery at the end of the week (37%), and combining orders into a single delivery when there are multiple deliveries in their area (36%).
In addition, 32% would like to understand what delivery option is the most environmentally friendly. Respondents are less willing to pay for faster (20%) or more convenient (19%) delivery times than in previous years.
Delivery satisfaction
A solid 85% majority of respondents are satisfied with their delivery services overall (16% every time, 69% most of the time), which is a 2% improvement from 2023 (16% every time, 67% most of the time).
Satisfaction levels are much higher in older generations, with 96% of respondents over age 65 saying they are satisfied with their delivery services (up from 83% in 2023). By contrast, the younger generation is significantly less happy with their delivery experience, with only 71% of respondents aged 18–24 satisfied (up slightly from 67% in 2023).
Middle-aged respondents are also unhappy, with 19% of those age 34–55 saying they are only occasionally, not that often or never satisfied with delivery services. Two-thirds (67%) of all respondents experienced delivery issues in the three-month period surveyed, which is a slight decrease from 69% in 2023.
Returns performance
Retailers’ returns performance is also holding steady, although not improving: 60% of respondents had no issues completing the returns process at home this year, unchanged year-over-year since this study began in 2022.
At the other end of the scale in 2024, 15% did have a returns problem — again, similar to the last two years. Almost one-quarter (23%) respondents said they lost trust in the delivery company and 16% said they would avoid retailers that use the delivery company in the future.
Descartes and SAPIO Research surveyed 8,000 consumers in Europe and North America on their e-commerce buying behavior during the first three months of 2024.