Online shoppers demand high standards on deliveries - study

Moreover, one-third (35.4%) of consumers will abandon a retailer for shipping a single wrong item, according to a study issued by voice platform provider Voxware Inc. Two-thirds of respondents said they expect a similar or better experience as compared to what larger retailers provide, supplychainquarterly.com reports.

The study is based on more than five hundred respondents who answered questions related to their holiday shopping plans, expectations for delivery of items purchased online or by phone during the holiday season, and the impact that late or incorrect deliveries have on their future shopping decisions.

One in four shoppers said they expect holiday gifts purchased online or by phone to be delivered within two days... even if they have not requested expedited shipping. In the companys 2014 survey, only 8% of respondents had that expectation.

Likewise, 84% of consumers said their expectations are higher than they were two years ago, and 78% stated that their expectations for on-time and accurate delivery are higher during the holiday season than during other times of the year. The results expand on preliminary findings from the Voxware survey that found that early holiday shoppers have higher expectations for swift delivery than their more leisurely neighbors.

The survey also showed that:

• 27% of online or catalog shoppers will altogether abandon shopping with a retailer that makes even one error in product delivery, and 63% will jump ship if that retailer makes two to three errors.
• 19% of online or catalog shoppers will abandon shopping with a retailer that delivers a holiday purchase later than promised, and 60% will do so if the retailer provides late delivery two or three times.
• 35.4% will abandon shopping with a retailer after receiving a single incorrect item (up from 16.5% in 2014), and shipping three or fewer incorrect items will cost a retailer 91.8% of their customers (up from 68.4% in 2014).
• 27% of respondents expect to be offered some type of compensation—such as a discount, coupon, or credit—from retailers that send them an incorrect item. And 9% expect to be offered compensation if items are delivered late.
• 46% of respondents said that they were likely or very likely to publicly share their negative experiences online.usus