The growing need for flexible delivery options

The growing need for flexible delivery options

Shoppers are fickle. One minute they love the excitement of returning to interactive in-store experiences, the next they enter pseudo-hibernation for the entirety of winter, unwilling to buy any products outside the convenience of their smartphone.

Every customer is different too. Some adore click-and-collect. Others are high street champions who will brace wind, rain, and snow to visit their favourite store for some weekend retail therapy.

Generation-to-generation, this differs. Town-to-town, this differs. There are no longer easy-to-define shopper demographics, and when you add the freedom, flexibility and reach of ecommerce to the equation, retailers face a heady mix of combinations to cater for.

Ultimately, it’s all about giving the customer what they want.

And that means near-complete flexibility in how they buy from you and how their products are delivered to them.

The days of “Arrives on a Weekday 7.30am – 7.30pm” delivery visibility is fading fast. Nowadays, customers want the ability to select their delivery date and slot, with round-the-clock detailed visibility into where their order is, how it will arrive and the opportunity to, with a few clicks, change things on the fly.

Retailers that stoically set expectations will find themselves under threat from nimbler brands that embed flexibility into every delivery touchpoint.

At a minimum, retailers should provide:

-The option of next day, standard and economy delivery

-A delivery service offering a selectable day with a precise delivery window

-A click and collect option

-Clear tracking that communicates near real-time status

-Easy returns

All of these should be changeable whenever the customer desires. Anything else, and shoppers will vote with their feet and look for more flexible brands.