Here’s what online shoppers look for in delivery and returns
Offering certain logistical services can help digital retailers draw customers.
Close to six-in-10 (58%) U.S. online consumers are willing to consolidate deliveries into fewer packages if they are offered a better overall or more environmentally friendly shopping experience. In addition, 40% of U.S. online consumers surveyed by logistics technology company Locus would accept slower delivery times and 22% are willing to pick up orders from a store or locker instead of home delivery.
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The survey also examined consumer views about a few other key aspects of delivery and returns for online shoppers:
Delivery speed
- One-in-three (34%) respondents values fast delivery above all else.
- One-in-five respondents say reliable, predictable delivery is their top priority.
Artificial intelligence
- Forty-five percent of respondents are using AI as either a primary or secondary online shopping tool.
- Among that 45%, four-in-10 (39%) say they're more likely to try new brands or products while using AI and 37% are more likely to purchase more items when using it.
Returns
- The returns experience plays a significant role in customer loyalty with 68% of respondents saying a fast refund makes them more likely to shop with a specific retailer again and 54% saying they prefer to return items in-store
- Gen Z respondents are more accepting of return fees, with 45% now willing to pay between $1 and $10, while 85% of baby boomer respondents still expect free returns.
"Retailers can't plan around one version of the online shopper anymore," said Nishith Rastogi, founder and CETO at Locus. "The challenge is not just that shoppers want more options. It's that those expectations are changing across the entire purchase journey, from discovery to delivery to returns. While retailers need logistics operations that are flexible enough to adapt to different situations, they need to remain disciplined enough to protect cost, capacity and the promises they make to shoppers."
Locus, part of Ingka Group, which operates 574 Ikea stores in 31 countries, released new survey findings from 1,000 U.S. consumers examining how people are shopping online, what they expect from delivery and returns, and how those habits are affecting retail logistics operations.
