Newsletter 37

Half of online shoppers look for delivery information before even starting to shop from a web site, according to an extensive consumer survey conducted by eDigital Research on behalf of IMRG (the online retailers’ organisation). Moreover, 28.4 per cent of respondents were put off buying online through concerns about delivery, and the single most-cited reason, with a score of 86.73 per cent, was difficulty of finding delivery information.

Twenty per cent of respondents said they would not order an item unless it would fit through their letterbox – a strong argument for the offer of alternative delivery arrangements. And ranking third-highest among specific concerns (with a rating of 71.5 per cent) was unhappiness with retailers who limit delivery to the credit cardholder’s address.

Two thirds of the respondents (67 per cent) said they would sometimes be willing to have relatively valuable goods left somewhere convenient without signing for them, and overall, respondents were divided almost exactly 50-50 on this – suggesting perhaps that signing should be offered as a beneficial option rather than an obligation.