Descartes’ annual ecommerce study shows online buying grows but 67% of consumers face delivery problems

Descartes Systems Group, the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, released findings from Online Buying Grows, But Too Many Consumers Still Experiencing Delivery Woes, its third annual consumer sentiment study of ecommerce home delivery. The study shows that 39% of respondents made more online purchases in the period surveyed this year compared to last year, and that 57% made purchases in at least one new product category this year. While the study revealed that consumers in every demographic are increasing the volume and frequency of their online purchases, 67% of those surveyed encountered delivery problems.

What’s more, delivery issues were also cited in the study as a potential barrier to future online buying. When consumers were asked what would put them off making more online purchases in the future, 21% indicated they have had negative delivery experiences, 20% said deliveries are not reliable and 17% have been dissatisfied with the delivery process. Additionally, according to the study, 63% of those who experienced delivery problems took some form of action that had negative consequences for the retailer or delivery company (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Consumer actions in the face of delivery problems

“While the third year of this study reveals the industry is achieving small, year-over-year improvements across a number of dimensions related to home delivery performance, the level of consumer dissatisfaction remains high,” said Chris Jones, EVP Industry at Descartes. “Mediocre delivery performance and inconsistent delivery experiences are, however, solvable problems. There are market proven strategies, operational best practices and technology solutions that retailers and delivery companies can consider to cost-effectively provide an optimal home delivery experience tailored to consumers’ delivery preferences.”

Descartes and SAPIO Research surveyed 8,000 consumers in Europe and North America on their ecommerce buying behavior during the first three months of 2024. The goal was to gain a comprehensive view of the state of ecommerce and home delivery performance by understanding, for example, the reasons for increases or decreases in ecommerce purchases, the different types of goods purchased, the frequency of purchases, delivery preferences, delivery experiences and the impact of delivery failures on retailers and their delivery agents. The study also examines how consumer behaviors and perceptions vary across demographics.