If you’re like my family, you probably did your share of online shopping this past holiday season. It was not unusual for us to see several boxes with smiling-arrow logos stacked up on our front porch each day. Retailers have taught us just how convenient online ordering can be.
But if your experiences have been anything like mine, you’ve probably also encountered a big problem with some orders—a lack of accurate, reliable delivery information. I often order from a particular vendor based on when the package will arrive. As a busy person who travels frequently, I want to make sure someone is home to receive the parcel, especially if it’s a valuable item. I see the intended delivery date, place my order, and then walk away confident that the item will arrive on the promised day. However, that is often wishful thinking.
How many times after placing an order do we then receive an email advising us of a new delivery date once the order enters the carrier’s system? And then how often do we end up waiting for an order that doesn’t arrive on the promised day but instead shows up a day or two later?
For people who are often away from home, those unscheduled deliveries can be a problem. We often have to rely on the kindness of a neighbor to fetch packages that arrive when we’re out to protect them from weather and porch pirates.
Yes, I understand that some carriers allow you to alter your delivery date or location, but this option often comes at a cost and is almost always inconvenient. In this age of technology, they should be able to deliver when they say they will, right?
Research shows that this a common problem. A recent consumer survey by identification technology specialist Avery Dennison found that 37% of online shoppers say delivery delays are the biggest frustration they endure. Another 32% of U.S. consumers say they will stop ordering from a “brand they love” following even one bad delivery experience. Consumers would like to see reliable two- to three-hour delivery windows for their orders, and they prefer predictability over speed, with 61% willing to pay more for better tracking information.
In this age of AI (artificial intelligence)-infused data, this is something that can be fixed. Shippers and carriers have the technology to make it happen. They use visibility tools every day in their own operations that allow them to pinpoint a specific package’s location within their system at any time. They just need to be willing to offer that same visibility to their customers.
