Have delivery attempts decreased and what do customers really want from retailers right now?

E-commerce as we know it has changed completely in the weeks since lockdown was introduced in the UK. According to IMRG, year-on-year online sales are up 37.4% in the third week of April, and this number shows no sign of slowing down. But how are logistics carriers coping with this influx of orders? And what do customers actually want from retailers? We analysed our own data to see what trends we could find.

Failed delivery attempts reduced

We looked at whether the number of attempts it takes a carrier to deliver a parcel have decreased during coronavirus. Perhaps unsurprisingly, we found that failed delivery attempts have fallen by 56 percent. This could be due to a number of reasons. First of all, the majority of Europe is currently working from home, so customers are more likely to be home when the courier knocks. In addition, many carriers have prioritised contactless delivery, giving customers the option to nominate a safe place to leave the parcel. Both of these mean that delivery is more likely to be successful on the first attempt

Customers want to know where their parcel is and when it will arrive

With so much uncertainty around delivery, it is more important than ever that customers are reliably informed about the status of their order. Are there delivery problems? Will the parcel arrive on time? Customers want to know this and are actively seeking this information.

An analysis of our data showed that emails and tracking links are being opened and clicked more frequently during coronavirus compared to normal times. We found that currently 62 percent of customers open at least one or more emails per shipment. Before coronavirus, this was still high, at 57 percent.

The amount of customers clicking on the tracking link has also increased during the coronavirus crisis. Previously, 24.9 percent clicked on at least one or more of the tracking links per shipment. Now, this number has increased to 26.3 percent.

Customers are therefore more engaged than they ever have been. It is therefore incredibly important that retailers are providing them with the information they are seeking and letting them know where their parcel is and when it will arrive.

A good customer experience is key – especially during crises

Right now, customers want to be able to rely on a retailer to inform them reliably and proactively about the status of their order. A good customer experience is key, especially when there is so much uncertainty around delivery. But how can retailers provide this?

Retailers need to take control back of their shipping notifications from third party carriers such as DHL, Hermes and UPS. They should be sending branded, proactive and personalised shipping messages so the customer knows exactly where their parcel is and doesn’t have to try to work out which shipping message relates to which order. This will dramatically reduce WISMO enquiries so retailers’ customer service teams are not overloaded with ‘where is my order?’ calls.

Would you like to offer your customers an excellent customer experience now and after the crisis is over? Get in touch – we’re happy to help with our innovative solution for superior post-purchase customer experience.