Spring 2008

Eight out of ten of online shoppers (actually 84 per cent) expect clear delivery information before they place their order, while 81 per cent want the option to specify an alternative delivery address for their goods. And 77 per cent like to be kept updated on the progress of their order.

These findings, unsurprising perhaps in themselves, gain weight because they were established during a study by Royal Mail.

As Val Walker, the organisation's head of multi-channel retail, puts it: 'Delivery details and options are a primary influence on consumers' choice of online retailer.'

As you might expect, Royal Mail itself is using its findings to promote the benefits of the delivery options it already offers. These include Royal Mail Tracked, which enables retailers to provide their customers with a tracking number when the goods ordered are despatched; and Safe place, which gives shoppers the opportunity to specify a safe, alternative delivery point, such as a shed, porch or neighbour's house.

However, the findings also point up the failure of many retail web site even to attempt to address the underlying issues.

Significantly, the survey behind the report found that a good delivery experience was considered more important than shopping from established web sites, buying well-known brands or finding sites with a large range of goods on sale. Ninety-four per cent of people were likely to shop again from an online retailer if they were happy with the delivery of their goods.

Among other findings, the study says that 19 in 20 online shoppers have abandoned a shopping basket, and 37 per cent do so regularly. More than four in ten people (42 per cent) end their transaction before check-out because of the delivery charge.

The findings are published in Royal Mail's Home Shopping Tracker Research, 2007