Survey: 86% of shoppers take steps to prevent package theft
With holiday shopping comes increased risk of porch piracy, though consumers are becoming more savvy about preventing theft.
More than one-in-10 Americans reported experiencing package theft in the past year, according to new survey data from home security system company Vivint, Among these victims, 28% encountered theft during Black Friday shopping and 11% on Cyber Monday.
When package theft occurred, many shoppers (61%) reported receiving full compensation from the retailer, with 69% saying they were satisfied with how retailers handled their claims. However, 19% reported receiving no reimbursement.
Amazon was the most likely retailer to fully compensate customers after a package issue (70%), while Best Buy had the highest percentage of cases where no compensation was provided (22%). eBay had the highest satisfaction rate (88%) for helping resolve package theft cases, followed by Target (83%), Best Buy (78%) and Amazon (75%).
Concerns about package theft have also reshaped shopping behaviors: One-in-five (21%) shoppers adjusted their habits to minimize risk, with 13% opting for retailers that offer better delivery security. Another 6% now prefer in-store pickups, while 5% avoid online shopping altogether during peak seasons.
In other findings, on average, victims spent $68 replacing stolen gifts, and over 20% had to spend more than $100. Porch piracy cost shoppers $134.40 in lost goods over the past year on average, while 6% of victims reported losing over $500 due to stolen packages.
For 34% of respondents, holiday gift theft disrupted their seasonal plans. Nearly a quarter (24%) had to give gifts late due to theft, and 17% could not afford to buy a new gift.
To mitigate porch piracy, a majority of shoppers (86%) say they use some form of theft prevention. The most popular approaches include 55% actively tracked their packages and 43% using a video doorbell. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of survey respondents feel that their anti-theft strategies are very effective, although 14% admit that they feel addicted to tracking their package.
Other popular theft-prevention methods include having packages delivered to work or a friend/family's home (84%), using services with better delivery security (83%), using specified delivery times (83%) and using package locker or delivery boxes (80%).
[READ MORE: Forrester: Total U.S. holiday sales to hit $1 trillion, with online up 10.1%]
“Thankfully, shoppers are finding ways to protect their packages, from adopting theft-prevention strategies to choosing more secure delivery options,” said Vivint. “Addressing these concerns requires continued innovation in both consumer strategies and delivery security so the holidays can remain a time of joy rather than stress.”
The full report can be found here.
