Although around 59 % of the respondents agreed to a cheaper delivery option, on the scale of rating it as a preferred option, it got the least significance.
21 %
15 %
3 % 1 % 7 %
26 %
27 %
Extremely Convenient Very Convenient Somewhat Convenient Neutral Somewhat Inconvenient Very Inconvenient Extremely Inconvenient
Option 3 – Giving special delivery instructions( e. g. leave at back door, leave in garage, etc.)
This was a suggestion that was tried out and a significant 75 % of the respondents agreed to this. They were ready to leave items of lower value deposited at garages or other specific places so that they could pick them up once they returned from office.
18 %
6 %
38 %
1 % 0 %
13 %
24 %
Extremely Convenient Very Convenient Somewhat Convenient Neutral Somewhat Inconvenient Very Inconvenient Extremely Inconvenient
Option 4 – Choose“ leave with neighbor option”
This was a suggestion that was tried out and a significant 68 % of the respondents agreed to this. They were ready to leave items of higher value deposited with their neighbors so that they could pick them up once they returned from office.
26 %
6 %
2 % 1 %
23 %
11 %
31 %
Extremely Convenient Very Convenient Somewhat Convenient Neutral Somewhat Inconvenient Very Inconvenient Extremely Inconvenient
Option 5 – Rerouting delivery package to another address
Given that most shoppers are office goers, a substantial 80 % of the respondents wanted the delivery person to contact them before delivery so that the desired location could be specified.
16 %
2 % 2 % 1 %
33 %
12 %
34 %
1 %
2.6 RECOMMENDATIONS
Extremely Convenient Very Convenient Somewhat Convenient Neutral Somewhat Inconvenient Very Inconvenient Extremely Inconvenient
! 80 % of the respondents would appreciate the flexibility to choose a delivery date while 65 % would like to avail of the re-routing facility. This is in line with the fact that majority of shoppers are in the age group 25-35, and are office-goers.
! Online retailers should facilitate communication of delivery location between the customer and the courier service provider. Within the city of delivery, online retailers should give customers the flexibility of choosing the delivery location, 3 hours before the actual delivery of the shipment by the courier company or before the courier personnel leave their office for delivering, whichever is later.
! Online retailers should take special instruction regarding delivery time from the customers and communicate the same to the courier. Many courier service providers already have the option of scheduling a shipment. Online retailers should act as an intermediary and advertise the service. As courier companies are already providing the service, no additional cost will be incurred.
! Customers are less price sensitive when it comes to time for delivery. However, any additional cost in delivering should be accounted for in the price of the product and not as additional shipment cost. Customers do not like to pay shipment charges.
2.7 ANALYZING PREFERENCE OF CUSTOMERS WHILE RETURNING A PRODUCT In the next part of the survey, the product returns experience of the customer was collected. This was done by 14.56 % of the respondents who had made purchases online.
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