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The average charge for “standard delivery” can range from £1.99 to £10, according to a survey of online retailers by iForce, the multi-channel logistics specialist. The average charge for standard delivery was £3.83 per order.
Only 9.7 per cent of online retailers offered am/pm delivery options and 6.9 per cent offered evening deliveries.
Just over 11 per cent of the 70 online retailers surveyed offered free standard delivery with an additional ten per cent providing free delivery based on minimum order value. Next day delivery is offered by 66.7 per cent of those surveyed with the average charge equating to £5.89 per order.
The survey also found 18 variations of standard delivery, the most common being defined as 3-5 days, followed by 2-4 days and then 2-3 days. In addition, Terms & Conditions relating to delivery were often found to be difficult to understand while key information on cut-off times for next day deliveries was frequently hidden in the detail or completely missing from the websites.
Geoff Taylor, director of client services at iForce, said: “Consumers are becoming accustomed to shopping online at anytime of day, expecting a wider range of products and, crucially, expecting it to be delivered to them in the way they prefer at a time that is convenient for them.”
Cut-off times for next day delivery also varied. The survey found that 41.7 per cent offered a cut off time of before 1 pm, 27 per cent between 1pm-3pm and the remainder offering it between 3pm and 6pm. No retailer offered a post 6pm cut off time.
iFoce also argued that wherever possible the ‘Checkout’ section of the website should offer delivery options and charges at the early stages of the payment process to make it as unambiguous and customer friendly as possible.
