Retail Survey: Consumers Demand Seamless Delivery

Delivery and performance matter the most.
Consumer expectations varied by region, with almost half of respondents willing to accept a later delivery date for a 10% discount. Consumers, on average, expected delivery of products in between 2-5 days, but the highest standards came from Germany, the UK, and France. The ability to service each customer segment based on expected delivery times and performance will only grow in importance as channels evolve.

Online shopping – does it really rule all?
As expected, the majority of consumers in any region had shopped online using desktop or laptop computers. UK respondents came in with the highest percentage at 83%, while German shoppers, at 65%, had the lowest level of adoption. They also were the least likely to have purchased via mobile at 13% — but surprisingly, even in the UK only 33% had ever purchased on a mobile device.

Purchasing through social media channels, while gaining traction as a new focal point for retailers, was in the low single digits for every region. While the low numbers can mostly be attributed to social sites still experimenting with how to bring transactions directly to their platforms, it highlights a large opportunity for retailers to grow.

As for traditional channels, brick-and-mortar is still alive and well – however, it’s not always integrated into a seamless omnichannel experience. In the UK, US, and France, the percentage of users of the click-and-collect (where they purchase online and collect in-store) method hovered around the 40-50% mark. In Germany, only 2% used this method, with half of them encountering problems along the way.

Retailers should also note the prevalence of showrooming, a trend that can threaten brick-and-mortar sales if not addressed at the store level. Regions varied considerably when asked if they had showroomed at least twice in the last year, but all of them were upwards of about 60%. It’s clear that if retailers don’t offer a positive buying experience, customers will test the goods in-store but buy online with a competitor.

In some countries, provenance is a major factor in purchase decisions.
France was particularly concerned with product source or origin, with 73% of consumers frequently checking the manufacturer label before buying. Even the UK, which scored the lowest, was at nearly half with 47%.

With recent factory disasters and sourcing scandals in mind, shoppers care about where their products were made. Many retailers are calling out domestically produced goods, as well as those produced in humane and environmentally-friendly manufacturing locations. Brands will continue to call out quality and transparency in an effort to stay ahead of the competition in 2014.