A survey, published by US same-day deliveries startup Dropoff reveals an interesting evolution occurring inside online Shoppers’ minds.
The market is evolving fast, faster than the options offered by established couriers, both in terms of speed and transparency and precision. Of course, being Dropoff specialized in same-day, the emphasis is right there. It’s impossible, though, to not recognize the importance of some data, especially when numbers are high enough to speak for themselves.
Between 2017 and 2018 the number of Americans expecting a same-day option in their retailer’s checkout has grown by 23%, for a total of 43%. If you consider only Millennial you get a straight 50%. During 2017 only 17% of them actually experienced a same-day delivery.
Frustration, obviously, is on the rise, especially in the Grocery and Health Care sectors (historically tied to fast services), with users willing to buy only if the option is present touching 70%. 53% of them has already abandoned a cart at least once for reasons related to the absence of same-day and/or next-day delivery options. Faith in the Big Three: Fedex, UPS, USPS has gone down by 4%, reflecting badly on associated retailers.
Speed, yes, but not only. Flexibility comes second: 54% want the freedom of choosing precise time-windows. 88% are tired of not knowing the exact location of their parcels. That’s because the old tracking systems are too abstract to satisfy Shoppers who need to be informed about their parcel’s travel on real time, with high granularity.
Driver’s competence is in the mix too: 57% is ready to change retailer if the delivery driver turns out not being up to the task. 70% admit that a uniformed driver inspires more trust in the service.
The new online Shopper is not the passive character around whom traditional supply chains have been built. He has a voice: social media, with which he can turn complaints in true image-related damage. He’s short on time but has a smartphone always at hand and wants to know, choose, change his mind, at any moment. To please him is not an option: it’s a necessity. More: an urgency.
