Delivery is a ‘key battleground’ for online retail

Written By Reagan Nyandoro

12/01/2018

Docking Bays by Kevin Dooley

The hotly contested online retail market is now being fought on the “key battleground” of delivery speed, according to a report from Royal Mail into Britons’ online shopping habits.

Royal Mail found that 84% of online shoppers take a seller’s delivery rating into account when deciding whether – and where – to buy goods from online.

One in four already subscribe to premium-rate services with major online retailers that allow them to benefit from faster delivery, such as unlimited next-day delivery throughout their subscription.

Nick Landon, managing director of Royal Mail Parcels, said: “Online shopping continues to grow. How you deliver is as important as what you sell and a quarter of shoppers are now paying an upfront fee for unlimited delivery. Businesses of all sizes need to make sure they respond to this demand or risk being left behind.”

Meanwhile, Royal Mail’s Parcelforce Worldwide arm revealed that 38% of Brits have either sent or received an oversized or awkwardly shaped parcel for Christmas.

The separate study found items sent in the mail have included bikes, mannequins, pogo sticks and cement mixers – a challenge to fit efficiently into the back of a van alongside other items.

Optimised logistics for online retailers

3T Logistics deliver comprehensive logistics optimisation services for retailers, including the ability to take account of product dimensions for greater overall load fill.

We also understand the pressures of Christmas and seasonal sectors – as you can see in our case study of our work with Swantex, a Kent-based producer of Christmas crackers, tinsel, gift wrap and paper tableware.

With 35 million metres of wrapping paper and five billion napkins to distribute each year, 3T Logistics offer Swantex the flexibility that they could not get directly from a single 3PL.

If you want to keep on top of seasonal deliveries or face unpredictable and challenging items to ship to your customers, speak to 3T Logistics about creating a bespoke 4PL solution to meet your needs.

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