Prolog’s e-Fulfilment Survey – So what delivery times do e-retailers promise their customers?
Posted on:2012-03-09 13:47:03
Prolog, Britain’s largest privately owned communications and logistics outsourcing services company, with sites in Sudbury, Annesley and Haydock has carried out and now published a survey on 31 individual e-retailers, including what they offer and promise their customers with regards to the delivery of their orders.
We all want things to be delivered quicker, but the survey showed a huge variance in delivery promises. The average delivery promise was 4.97 days, the best was 1 day and the worse was a shocking 14 days. However, only 90.12% of the orders placed, as part of this survey, were delivered on time and within the delivery promise of the retailer.
Whilst we want items quickly, we also want them at a good price and the survey showed that customers are being charged on average £3.38 for standard delivery and £6.70 on average for the next day option. Furthermore, some e-retailers are looking to improve even further and 22.58% of those orders placed offered free standard delivery, but needed to have an average basket value of £72.86 to apply.
Ian Dignum, Prolog's Commercial Director, commented:
"Online shopping is increasing in the UK and with challenges on the High Street, should be an important part of a retailer's plans for growth. This part of our survey shows the significant range in promises to customers, that people will pay more for premium services, but, during the survey period, 9.88% of deliveries were not made within the retailers own promises - a figure that is simply too high to encourage customer loyalty"
More details on the survey can be found on the Prolog website at www.prolog.co.uk/en/services/direct/e-fulfilment