Half of top retailers in UK lack delivery information on website

Half of the top 100 retailers in the United Kingdom do not show delivery information on product pages. This impacts customer satisfaction. And of the retailers who do show delivery information, nearly 40 percent miss their own advertised delivery times.

These data come from a new post-purchase study from fulfillment company Salesupply and ParcelLab. The researchers tested the post-purchase experience at 100 of the biggest online sellers in the United Kingdom.

‘Reliable delivery is crucial for customer satisfaction and retention, and many retailers fall short’

“Our report underscores the critical need for UK retailers to enhance their services”, stated Tobi Buxhoidt, CEO at parcelLab. “Nearly 40% of retailers do not meet their advertised delivery times, highlighting a gap between customer expectations and service delivery. Reliable delivery is crucial for customer satisfaction and retention, and many retailers are falling short. This is a stark reminder that timely and dependable delivery is foundational to customer satisfaction and retention.”

Tracking not provided by 45% retailers

Additionally, 55 percent of retailers send a tracking link from their carrier to customers, which improves transparency and trust. That also means that a large portion of retailers (45 percent) is failing to do that.

80% of retailers provide express delivery options

When it comes to costs of delivery, the study shows that almost 20 percent of retailers always charge for delivery. And 80 percent provide express delivery, which can attract customers who need to receive their orders quickly. On average, online retailers in the United Kingdom charge their customers 4.13 British pounds (4.85 euros) for shipping.

Customer service closes too early

The study also includes customer service, as it can also influence pre- and post-sales satisfaction of customers. One in four major online sellers in the United Kingdom only have customer support during business hours, while peak online shopping hours in the country are between eight and nine in the evening.

Closing customer care during peak hours increases the risk of losing customers to competitors that are available

This means that these sellers risk losing their customers to competitors who are available during those times. This result was also found in German and Dutch online stores, where more than 40 percent close customer care after five in the evening.

Long waiting times in customer care

On average, online sellers in the United Kingdom offer 2.8 contact channels. Telephone is offered the most frequently, though 6 percent hid their customer service number. And more than a quarter did not publish a number on their website.

50% of retailers took more than five minutes to answer a call

In online stores where customers could call a phone number, 50 percent of these stores took longer than five minutes to answer a call. The average waiting time was 8.23 minutes. Waiting times were also high on other channels. Email enquiries were answered after an average of 12 minutes, on social media after 10 minutes, and on Whatsapp it took 15 minutes on average.

Chatbots to enhance efficiency

However, the study also shows that already 66 percent of retailers use chatbots to manage queries from customers. This enhances efficiency and improves customer satisfaction. In an answer to this shift in the industry, Salesupply launched an AI chatbot in April.

‘These findings should serve as a call to action for retailers in the United Kingdom’

“These findings should serve as a call to action for retailers in the United Kingdom to critically assess and improve their customer service to deliver the exceptional service that today’s customers expect and deserve”, says Jonathon Huggett, senior business developer at Salesupply.