A new research has revealed that UK retailers could be collectively missing out on more than £3bn because of delivery failures over the Christmas period.
Conducted by The Institute of Customer Service, the survey stats found that 16 million customers in the UK faced delays with their deliveries compared to last year’s Christmas period.
As a result, it has been estimated that 73% of such customers are avoiding the offending retailers this year.
With consumers revealing that they spent an average of more than £250 with retailers who did not deliver goods on time, the risk is a decline in market share as the former started looking at other shopping options.
The Institute of Customer Service chief executive Jo Causon said: “UK retail businesses need to take these findings seriously, as failings arising from their own processes, or chosen logistics suppliers, could have serious implications for their own bottom line. Our research shows online shoppers are prepared to vote with their wallets, and take their custom elsewhere if deliveries – a crucial part of the retail customer service experience – are not up to scratch.
“There is a real emotional cost to consumers when deliveries go awry – particularly around the Christmas period when customers are anxious to receive Christmas presents and festive purchases on time. This emotional cost can soon become a real cost to retailers when customers lose trust and take their business elsewhere.”
The survey found out that frustrated shoppers faced an average delay of 5.3 days which varied across different places.
For instance, in Wales, the average delay was the highest at 6.5 days while in Ireland, the average delay was much lower at 3.6 days.
As far as individual cities are concerned, Norwich recorded an average delay of 7.4 days in comparison to Southampton where the average delay was at 2.9 days.
London recorded an average delay of 5.8 days in the survey.
The latest retail research revealed that retailers who delivered late were not only hit with reputational damage but also with financial.
It was also found that around three fifths, 57%, of the participants in the survey had actively discouraged their family and friends from using retailer who had delayed their goods’ delivery. Also recorded in the survey were more than half of the participants, 52% of them took the social media to post negatively about the retailers.
