Over the past couple of years, demand for visibility, flexibility and control of the delivery and returns journey has become increasingly important for online shoppers.

59% of online consumers will choose another e-tailer if the shop’s delivery options are better suited to their needs. Furthermore, 36% will never buy from the same online merchant if they have a negative delivery experience.

So, how to gain and retain customers? Your delivery and returns performance is a differentiating factor.

A localized approach is the key to opening the doors to a customer-centric journey and to increasing the chances of customers returning to your online shop for more. Customers want control over their delivery and returns experience; this is achievable by offering multiple delivery options, so they can choose the one that meets their needs best.

Additionally, consumer demand for sustainable consumption is also rising4, and conscious online shopping - including sustainable delivery options - is another factor to consider in today’s online shopping behavior.

What if you, as an online retailer, could improve in all these dimensions and, on top, save costs?

Offering out-of-home delivery to delight your customers and save costs - at the same time

While out-of-home has been around for a couple of years, considerable investments in pick-up and drop-off networks in recent years have increased the density and attractiveness of out-of-home. This leads to a shift in consumer behavior in many European markets, which along with the advantages in costs and carbon emissions, is turning out-of-home into a potential game changer for e-commerce shipping.

Here are three reasons why you can’t miss out on offering out-of-home:

1. Higher NPS

More and more consumers have discovered the reliability of an OOH delivery service to their favorite pick-up and drop-off point. Rather than searching for the parcel in their neighborhood, they want to determine in the moment they place their order where and when they can pick it up - on a day and at a time of their choosing. This freedom for self determination will pay in on your delivery NPS. Make sure you offer your customers their preferred delivery option to meet their needs and increase your overall NPS.

2. Cost savings

With out-of-home, multiple parcels are getting delivered at a single stop. This saves carriers a lot of costs. Cost differences remain very individual as they depend on numerous factors such as country, carrier and also on size and weight of parcels. Looking at available data, out-of-home rates are on average 5% to 25% below home delivery rates. You can take advantage of these cost savings when you offer out-of-home delivery to your customers.

3. Sustainability

The interest and awareness for conscious consumption among online shoppers has grown consistently over the last few years, and studies have shown that they expect companies to take responsibility for protecting our environment. However, many online shoppers are unaware about the significantly better carbon footprint that e-commerce has compared to stationary retail. Moreover, studies have also shown that when a sustainable delivery option is clearly marked at the checkout, most customers will choose that one above all.

Link to the full FREE GUIDE: https://news.sevensenders.com/en/top-three-reasons-to-offer-out-of-home?utm_campaign=PUDO_Locator_Campaign-%5BGuide%5D-2022&utm_content=PUDOLocator_Guide_square_01&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-4847666