17 May 2022, London – Delivery is quickly becoming one of the biggest deal-breakers for online shoppers in the UK, with around two-thirds (65%) saying they wouldn’t order from a marketplace if they don’t offer a convenient delivery option, according to a new survey.
The popularity of marketplaces is rising with 41% of consumers claiming they plan to shop more on marketplaces in the upcoming months and more than a third (35%) even say they prefer shopping on marketplaces over regular online stores.
Convenience (81%) is the most important reason they choose to shop on online marketplaces, followed by competitive prices (63%) and a wide product range (52%), survey findings by e-commerce delivery platform Sendcloud show.
While convenience seems to be the driving force behind the success of marketplaces, delivery seems to be among the biggest deal breakers with consumers wanting to decide for themselves where, when and how an order is delivered.
Almost three quarters (71%) of consumers say flexibility in delivery is key for them. Consumers are looking for flexible delivery options and after standard delivery options (30%), the most popular ones are next-day delivery (21%), same-day delivery (10%), or local store pick-up (7%).
Speed is also an important deciding factor, with 40% of consumers refusing to order from marketplaces that don’t offer fast delivery. Surprisingly, speed also trumps the cost of deliveries for consumers, with just 28% saying free delivery is essential for them to place an order.
“The massive popularity of marketplaces reflects the success in which they fulfil consumer expectations, and if there’s one thing marketplaces seem to master extremely well in, it’s delivery,” said Rob van den Heuvel, CEO, Sendcloud.
90% of consumers said they now regularly shop via online marketplaces, with Amazon (67%) by far the leading choice ahead of closest rivals eBay (19%) and Etsy (5%).
“Convenience is one of the biggest selling points for consumers now – more so than cost of delivery or a wide range of products. To meet this, marketplaces like Amazon have structured their services in a way that means they can quickly and efficiently deliver against these demands, while still delivering competitive prices and a large product range.
“There’s a clear message here to direct-to-consumer businesses: You can have better products, a wider selection of them, and at more competitive prices, but if you can’t deliver them at a time or place where consumers want them then you’re always going to be one step behind. Delivery can become a key USP and competitive advantage if prioritised, helping businesses sell succesfully on marketplaces,” van den Heuvel concluded.
About Sendcloud
Sendcloud is an all-in-one shipping platform for e-commerce businesses that want to scale. It is our mission to empower online retailers to compete by optimizing the full shipping journey from checkout to returns. Our solution turns e-commerce logistics from a bottleneck into an accelerator, making shipping a competitive advantage.
Founded in the Netherlands in 2012, Sendcloud has quickly become one of the fastest growing scale-ups and leading shipping solutions in Europe, with more than 23,000 customers across the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Austria. Customers range from small to enterprise-sized online retailers and in industries from fashion and electronics to food & drink.
