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Thursday, 15th December 2011, 17:01:18
Shoppers 'order early to avoid late deliveries'
E-commerce sites are seeing more and more customers buying their Christmas gifts early in a bid to avoid the disappointment of late deliveries or presents not turning up before the big day.
At a time of year when courier services and the Post Office are overflowing with orders, Christmas cards and parcels that are travelling in and around the UK as well as to overseas destinations, shoppers have learned to get ahead of the game by planning weeks before the big day arrives.
This week alone, ComScore reported that sales for Black Friday, Cyber Sunday and Cyber Monday have significantly risen above last year's figures and that more people are enjoying the convenience and flexibility of using the internet to get their purchases delivered right to their door.
A representative from ComScore, the online research firm, suggested that e-shoppers enjoy the easy-to-use facilities on internet shopping sites such as comparison tools to find the best deal on a particular product.
However, Which?, a provider of tips and guides on a variety of topics, suggested that the surge of people shopping online is down to the will to get their products delivered to them in plenty of time before Christmas Day.
Executive director at the company Richard Lloyd said: "If online retailers can't meet an agreed delivery date, they must let consumers know and rearrange delivery at a convenient time, or refund them their money."
He added that the festive period's postal service is one of the most frustrating times for those trying to organise presents for their family and friends - with a quarter of all shoppers experiencing a late delivery last year.
Which? found that shoppers who have been left without orders come Christmas day have contributed to the 6.7 million customers who have started their online Christmas shopping early this year.
Furthermore, this Christmas will see increased internet traffic as those who were affected last year get themselves more prepared for the rush.
Research collected by Which? showed that a quarter of online shoppers had an order delivered later than expected in the last year and that one in five customers had their parcel left with someone else without their consent to do so - creating a worry that even after delivery a product could go missing.
Mr Lloyd advised that keen shoppers should buy well in advance and plan their diary around when deliveries are scheduled for to avoid any misplaced products or failures to find the right address.
Additionally, the research showed that damaged gifts were a further problem. Ten per cent of e-commerce customers found that they were left without any delivery at all, while a further 13 per cent received nothing.
In a problem that could cause enhanced seasonal challenges, Royal Mail's Price Finder website was closed last week because of "technical difficulties".
The website offers shoppers and sellers a service to work out how much postage of particular items will cost, based on size and weight of the package.
A representative from the nation's postal service explained that the closedown had been caused by the movement of internet services to a new server. He advised that the problem would be restored as soon as possible.
Which? has offered online consumers some tips on how to get the best out of their e-commerce experience.
It stated that shoppers should confirm delivery dates and check terms and conditions carefully. It also advised that customers should be secure by paying through credit card, as Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act gives protection if an item costing over £100 and less than £30,000 is faulty.
Categories: | Ecommerce |
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