European e-shoppers demand better delivery options

The demands of online shoppers in Europe are increasing in terms of delivery as they are becoming more mature in their online buying behaviour, finds a recent report. European consumers want multiple delivery options along with constant updates regarding the delivery status, thus making product delivery an important issue for online businesses.

 “The consumers of today want a range of options and constantly updated information on delivery status. This has made delivery into an important issue in creating value for online businesses and carriers, and it is important to both listen to and understand consumers’ wishes. It is absolutely vital to be able to offer customers locally-adapted and seamless delivery arrangements,” said Karin Falkentoft, managing director of Direct Link Worldwide UK, a PostNord company.

The annual E-commerce in Europe report published by PostNord said home delivery is one of the favourite options of European consumers, however, Germany, Nordics and France prefer mailbox deliveries by the mail carrier. Delivery to a collection point is the second most-popular delivery method in the Nordic region and France.

Consumers in most markets expect fast deliveries in 1-2 days. In the Netherlands, nearly four out of ten people want their orders delivered in two days max, while Nordic citizens can wait for up to six days or more for their products. However a majority of the consumers in the Nordic region expect delivery within 3-5 days.

There is a rise of 17 million in the number of people who are shopping from abroad as 176 million people ordered products from abroad. Shoppers from Nordics, UK and Belgium are keenest on buying from different countries. Poland has recorded a 12 per cent increase in shopping from abroad. Most Europeans buy products from UK and Germany and among the non-European countries, China is a favourite.

In terms of payment options, locally-adapted payment systems are an important key to success for e-commerce businesses. Italian and Spanish customers prefer to use PayPal or similar services, while UK and French buyers choose to pay using a debit or credit card. In Germany and the Nordic region, a popular option is to pay via invoice, whereas in Poland, Spain and Italy people also want to be able to pay cash on delivery.

The report is based on interviews of over 12,000 consumers in the age range of 15-79 from countries like Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK. The survey was conducted by the research company Nepa.

E-commerce in Europe recorded sales worth €189 billion in 2015 which is €9 billion more than the previous year as close to 253 million consumers chose to buy online products.