Shipping services: Customers expect flexibility in delivery and information on shipping status

Munich, September 08, 2020 - The most emotional part of an online order is shipping, when the desired item makes its way to the customer. But it is precisely at this point that retailers have so far paid little attention to a good customer experience. The Munich-based operations experience specialist parcelLab, together with the market research institute YouGov, surveyed a total of 2,000 online shoppers in Germany in June 2020 about their wishes and expectations when it comes to parcel shipping - with some surprising results.

For example, 96 percent of customers do not care whether the packaging is printed with the provider's logo or not. However, 42 percent of online shoppers would welcome their order being shipped in an environmentally friendly recycled box. 71 percent of customers would like to choose the logistics provider themselves. For 79 percent, the most important reason for this is being able to influence the reliability of delivery. Another third would like to be able to select the delivery service whose parcel store is in the immediate vicinity.

Little acceptance for Click & Collect

Ideally, parcels are delivered in person to the recipient's own front door. But if the recipient is not local, alternative concepts are in demand. 55 percent of consumers prefer permits for alternative drop-off locations such as their own garage or stairwell. Pickup at a post office or Packstation is also used by half of all respondents. Supposedly innovative offers such as Click & Collect are used by only 28 percent of online shoppers. 54 percent even actively reject this option. The biggest no-go for web shoppers in this country, however, is car trunk delivery. Here, three quarters of customers say "no thanks".

Customers want to know where their parcel is

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There is also potential for optimization when it comes to shipping communication. The high level of interest among customers in the current processing status of their order is shown by the fact that 91 percent of online customers use track & trace features in the shipping notification, according to their own statements. But retailers should also be more proactive in providing information about the shipping process. The most important information here includes a message if shipping is delayed (68 percent), the fact that the package has been shipped (67 percent) and confirmation that the customer's return has arrived (56 percent). In general, there are various communication touchpoints during the shipping period, which are considered useful by every second customer on average.

"To improve the operations experience when receiving parcels, two things are essential on the part of shippers," knows parcelLab co-founder Anton Eder. "Customers want more individualized and flexible shipping services - including the choice of logistics provider. And they want them to be better informed about where their order is at the moment."

The complete study with further detailed evaluations of the consumer survey is available here:

About parcelLab

With the Operations Experience (OX) platform parcelLab, companies optimize the customer experience during order fulfillment. Large enterprises in all industries can use the unique cloud platform (SaaS) to monitor all relevant process steps in fulfillment themselves in real time, identify any problems at an early stage and thus react proactively.

Via fully configurable and automated workflows, companies can communicate directly and in a highly personalized manner with the customer at all relevant points in the process and no longer have to hand over this valuable point of contact to third parties such as DHL & Co. In this way, companies ensure a consistent brand experience, proactive customer service and maximized cross-selling potential.

parcelLab customers include over 500 well-known companies in 45 countries and 32 languages, including IKEA, Lidl and MediaMarktSaturn. The company was founded in 2014 and today employs over 80 people at locations in Munich, London, Paris and Los Angeles.