A new survey shows that slow delivery times leads to abandoned shopping carts for ecommerce merchants.
The data from same-day delivery provider Dropoff found that the median expectation for retail delivery is 2 days, and 60 percent of consumers have decided not to purchase from a retailer due to slow delivery speed. What's more, 40 percent of respondents said they would prefer same-day delivery, although just 1 percent expects to receive items this fast.
Additional data from the study found a correlation between delivery speed and loyalty, with 77 percent of respondents reporting that faster delivery times make them more loyal to a retailer. It should also be noted that fast delivery expectations are growing, with 46 percent of respondents expecting companies to deliver faster than they did a year ago.
Aside from delivery speed, the Dropoff survey found that 95 percent of consumers say that the ability to track their package is important, while 58 percent say the friendliness of delivery personnel is important. Moreover, 70 percent even said that delivery personnel arriving in uniform is important.
"Retailers who don't understand how and why consumers are expecting things faster will struggle to compete," said Sean Spector, CEO of Dropoff. "Much like we saw with free shipping and free returns, those who offered it first set the tone for the industry and reaped the rewards of more loyal customers and higher sales conversions. Smart retailers need to be out ahead of this trend and deliver on the expectations consumers describe in the study."