A report released August 11 on current U.S. adult consumer perception and trust for high importance or time critical deliveries, such as medical devices and travel documents, indicates there are many opportunities to improve.
The report, “Mission Critical Deliveries Report,” was conducted by the third-party research firm YouGov on behalf of parcelLab, a Boston-based software company offering an operations experience management platform for the post-sales experience.
The software provider says it uncovers the pain points U.S. consumers experience around delivery of medical devices, prescriptions, travel documents and more, and how that affects their trust in retailers, suppliers and carriers, and shows that U.S. consumers have a harder time trusting than they realize.
While two-thirds (66%) of respondents generally do trust that time critical or high-importance items will be delivered by a specific time, one in four (25%) do not. Nevertheless, several circumstances have made U.S. consumers reluctant to order these items for home delivery. Some 32% would be reluctant to order again following a failed delivery or negative ordering experience, and 29% would be reluctant to order items for a special occasion when the item has to arrive by a specific date or time.
Similarly, 28% of consumers surveyed expressed reluctance when they know it might be difficult to find a replacement item in person if it doesn’t arrive on time or gets lost. The figure was 26% when an essential item is needed for a vacation or trip, or when running low on a particular item. “While data shows that trust is high, when compared against consumers’ reluctancy nature, it begs the question whether trust with brands is truly present,” parcelLab said.
The report highlights the fact that delivery can make or break the customer experience. Nearly one-third (30%) of consumers reported that negative reviews or comments around a supplier’s delivery service would be a reason for not ordering time-critical or high-importance items for home delivery. That said, in the last three years alone, 37% experienced an average of two to five late or lost deliveries of those items, and in the last two years, 27% have had those types of packages left at the wrong address; 30% were left unprotected or in the rain, and nearly one in four (24%) was delivered in a damaged state.
When these incidents occurred, nearly half (48%) would place blame on the carrier, and more than one in four (26%) would place it on the supplier or retailer from which the item was ordered.
For packages that didn’t arrive on time or ended up being lost, 34% of customers would avoid ordering from the retailer or supplier again, and almost half (48%) would complain to the retailer’s customer service team versus 39% that would reach out directly to the courier. Another 19% would actively tell friends and family not to order from the retailer or supplier; 27% would avoid the courier, and 16% would write a negative review about the courier online. 21% noted that they’d be more likely to order mission-critical items if they could choose which courier delivered the item.
