Only half of retailers offer express delivery option

New research has revealed that on average, only half of retailers in Europe offer an express delivery option, while just 6 percent offer same day delivery. It’s the United Kingdom that leads the way in terms of delivery options available to customers. With an average of 4.4 options it’s way ahead of the European average of 2.7 options.

This is shown by the annual eDelivery Index report, a survey among 150 leading omni- and multichannel retailers selling in France, Spain, Germany, the UK and Italy. The study is aimed at the delivery and fulfilment performance by retailers and how they compare to customer expectations.

‘European retailers fail to meet customer expectations’

The main conclusion from the report is that European retailers fail to meet customer expectations beyond the point of purchase. This is partly shown by the fact that only 52 percent of retailers allow customers to return goods in-store. “The in-store return method offers a significant opportunity to cut down the cost of returns by promoting exchanges and refunds and assimilating in-store returns directly into store inventory”, Radial writes.

Average retailer in UK offers 4.4. delivery options

On average, a retailer in Europe offers 2.7 different delivery options. But in the UK, the average retailer offer 4.4 delivery options. But asking money for these delivery options would scare today’s customers away, as 79 percent of retailers now offer free standard home delivery. Furthermore, 95 percent of retailers offer free click and collect, as an alternative to the paid postal service. But according to Radial, these retailers fail to use in-store stock to fulfil these click and collect orders. “Utilizing this in-store stock will not only cater to the immediacy that many customers desire, but would also drive significant cost reductions in serving such orders.”

“This research shows that for European retailers today, a ubiquitous omnichannel offering is simply not the reality”, says Ben Willis, Managing Director International at Radial. “These findings are a proof point that today’s retailers need to reassess their customer experience strategy to look at the bigger picture.”