Brits are increasingly jumping on the online shopping bandwagon, leading to a severe case of FOMD sweeping the nation. That's fear of missed delivery and it's getting serious.
When asked, as many as two thirds of consumers said they are afraid to leave the house for fear of missing their parcel, according to a new survey commissioned by MetaPack and conducted by Research Now. FOMD is getting so bad that a third of people are using up valuable holiday time to take a day off to wait in for a parcel.
Say you had used up your precious holiday to stay home for this delivery, but then spotted a missed delivery card lying on the doormat despite being in - you'd be pretty annoyed. This has actually happened to a third of consumers. Other common delivery woes include 28% having a parcel left in an inappropriate place (think bin!) and 39% having experienced the pain of waiting in all day for their parcel to be a total no-show.
A poor customer experience like this can be seriously bad for business, especially if you think that 59% of consumers say that it would make them consider cutting all ties with that retailer. On the other hand, 95% of consumers say a positive delivery experience would encourage them to shop more with that retailer in future.
Angela O'Connell, Marketing and Strategy Director, MetaPack says, "Millennials have long been reported to experience a fear of missing out - analysts call this phenomenon FOMO. But in the world of eCommerce, FOMD is the real threat. Now retailers are under pressure to get the delivery experience just right, particularly as consumers get increasingly demanding for more flexibility, convenience and control. Research shows it's time to get innovative."
UK shoppers are enthusiastic to try alternatives that will give them more control over their online retail experience. More than a third of consumers (35%) think that drone delivery would work for them. This is particularly true for those aged 18-24, who are three times more likely to take a delivery by drone than those aged 55 and over. As well as this, 76% of consumers would like same-day delivery, 73% would try Sunday delivery and 69% would give one-hour delivery a go. Despite these options being available through many providers, it's going to be interesting to see how many retailers take advantage of both what's on offer and what's new to the market.
Research Now surveyed 500 people from the UK aged 18 to 70. The survey took place throughout August.
Source: MetaPack
