Consumer poll reveals short shrift for retailers that deliver late or incorrect and damaged goods

Consumer poll reveals short shrift for retailers that deliver late or incorrect and damaged goods

The results of an online survey found that around a quarter of UK adults would be unlikely to give a retailer a second chance if they receive an incorrect or damaged product.

Consumers expect high standards

The online survey of 2,107 UK online shoppers, carried out by market researcher YouGov for logistics service provider Norbert Dentressangle, revealed 25% would be unlikely to buy from a retailer again if their order was incorrectly fulfilled, rising to 28% if they received a damaged item.

Respondents were somewhat ambivalent on the matter of late-ordering cut-off times, with just 6% strongly agreeing that these were important and 38% neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

But the importance of other people’s feedback was by contrast much higher, with 69% agreeing that this influenced their online purchasing decisions, rising to 80% for those using Twitter regularly.

Stock availability and accuracy

Respondents were also asked to provide details of their worst online shopping experience, which ranged from wrong, damaged, faulty and incorrect goods to non-receipt of goods, difficulties in obtaining refunds, poor packaging, communications and customer service and problems with returns.

In many cases, respondents indicated that they had bought items displayed as available on a retailer’s website and had the money taken from their accounts, only to be informed – in some cases several weeks later – that the product was actually out of stock.

In a couple of cases, respondents reported deliveries being left in recycling bins, which were then emptied before they had chance to recover the items. One respondent had ordered an item as a gift and paid for it to be gift-wrapped, only discovering that it was the wrong item when the recipient opened it, while another had ordered a cardigan and received a Toblerone.

Not all doom and gloom

On a more positive note, around 40% of those who made a comment did not have any issues, with one respondent commenting: “I’ve never had a poor online shopping experience – all have been brilliantly done.”

Mark Catley, head of e-commerce development at Norbert Dentressangle, said: “While the worst experiences of the respondents were many and varied, the survey revealed that, in at least 25% of cases, a bad experiences is likely to deter that customer from purchasing from the same retailer again.”

He said the removal of the need for the customer to visit a store reduces the number of physical customer touchpoints. As a result there is less opportunity for brands to engage with their customers and foster the emotional involvement and commitment that underpins customer loyalty.

Sobering advice before Christmas

He added: “While the actual delivery of an online purchase represents an important part of the customer experience, that experience continues into the customer’s home, where a retailer has a final, critical opportunity to either delight or disappoint. Achieving the former relies on the correct product being delivered in the correct type and amount of packaging, in good condition, with a quick, easy and preferably (for the consumer) free way of returning the product if required – all giving a positive impression of the retailer’s brand.

“If it is not, that retailer does not have the same opportunity to ‘make right’ at the back of store, at front of store, via a sales assistant or with an ‘instant’ replacement product as they would instore, increasing the risk of permanently forfeiting that customer’s business,” Catley concluded.