Shoppers will pay for deliveries – at right price

UK shoppers are not opposed to paying for online deliveries, if the fee isn’t too high, according to research by Whistl.

Two thirds of those surveyed said that overall they would not expect free delivery when placing orders online. But when purchases go over £10 consumers then expect free deliveries.

As well as this, the research found that people are willing to pay between £2 and £4 for a delivery – but 67 per cent will not continue with an online purchase if the delivery fee is too high.

Most respondents (75 per cent) said that the amount they will pay online is unaffected by the offer free delivery, but a third of shoppers overbuy to avoid delivery and return charges.

“It is clear from the research that retailers need to take into consideration how much they charge for delivery and what the minimum spend should be, as this is having a direct impact on how much people spend on online purchases or whether they buy anything at all,” said Melanie Darvall, director marketing & communications, Whistl. “We were surprised to find that nearly a third of consumers would purposefully overbuy with the intention of sending items back, purely to qualify for the free delivery.

“The UK consumer is complex and requires bespoke delivery solutions that enable the retailers to maximise the sales opportunity without impact on profit margins.”