Anticipated delivery delays and returns headaches are causing nearly 60 per cent of consumers to refrain from shopping online this festive season, according to delivery intelligence platform FarEye’s Festive Season Consumer Shopping Survey 2022.

To arrive at this conclusion, FarEye polled 1,000 Indian consumers aged 18+ via online survey in September 2022. FarEye’s survey found that about 63 per cent people are abandoning shopping carts due to poor delivery terms and 54 per cent are expecting delivery delays this festive season.

Irksome factors

“Consumers have become frustrated with challenges associated with getting timely deliveries, every time, and don’t want to pay extra for returns or faster delivery,” said Gautam Kumar, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, FarEye.

“For the first time in two years, retailers are banking on increased consumer spending during festive season after several pandemic-stricken years that saw reducing spending and in-person celebratory gatherings. In order to increase sales, retailers must improve the delivery experience – from the first click to order, through to delivery, to consumers’ doorsteps,” Kumar added. 

Critical periods

The survey further revealed that while e-commerce deliveries are typically higher during the festive season, so are returns. 

“Peak seasons are some of the most critical periods for retailers to get the delivery-and-returns experience right, or risk losing brand loyalty, or worse the customer for good. These survey findings, while not surprising, indicate the need for brands to continually redefine their last-mile delivery strategy to ensure a superior consumer experience, every time,” said Kumar.

Published on October 14, 2022