If you have ever bought or had an item shipped to you from an ecommerce store online, chances are you have tracked your delivery progress through delivery tracking. Many people rely on delivery tracking to ensure a package will be delivered when they are at home. Thanks to GPS and modern tracking software, it is easier than ever to follow a package delivery through the entire process from purchase to delivery at your doorstep.
An online printing company called 4over wanted to learn more about the shipping and tracking habits of American consumers. They recently surveyed over 2,000 American consumers who have purchased an item online to better understand how they use delivery tracking. Let us take a look at the key findings from their survey and accompanying report.
Delivery tracking for American consumers
An overwhelmingly majority of American consumers (9 in 10) say that they currently track their deliveries after completing an online purchase. Only 4% of American consumers say that they do not track deliveries after purchase. Of those who are tracking the deliveries of their online purchases. 43% report to tracking their deliveries daily after ordering. Only 3% of surveyed respondents say that they rarely or never track packages after ordering. Another 54% say they check either a few times before delivery or several times per day to check the status of the delivery.
Are packages and deliveries arriving late?
As you might imagine, a majority of American consumers have dealt with a package being delivered late. Almost 90% of all consumers have said they have dealt with a package arriving later than it should. Because of those delays, 53% of American consumers report being more nervous than they should be waiting for the delivery. Another 28% of American consumers say that they are sometimes nervous or impatient when waiting for a package to be delivered. Only 18% of American consumers say they do not get nervous about a package being delivered after being delayed.
Is delivery tracking important to American consumers?
The survey from 4over asked American consumers about the importance of delivery tracking. 57% of surveyed respondents said that delivery tracking is very important to them and something that they value when ordering online. Another 40% said it was somewhat important to the buying process for them. So, 97% of American consumers feel that delivery tracking is some level of important to the buying process. Only 3% of online buyers said delivery tracking was not important to them at all.
Preferred shipping method for American consumers
The next part of the survey asked about the preferred shipping method when shopping online. Listed below is the full breakdown of the results:
- I prefer same day shipping (7% of respondents)
- I prefer next day shipping (24% of respondents)
- I prefer shipping anywhere between 2-3 days (45% of respondents)
- I prefer shipping anywhere between 3-5 days (14% of respondents)
- I prefer shipping generally within a week (8%)
- I prefer shipping between 7-10 days
Surveyed respondents were next asked about the longest they would be willing to wait for a package to be delivered to their home. Listed below is the full breakdown of results:
- I am willing to wait one week for my package to be delivered (32% of respondents)
- I am willing to wait up to two weeks for my package to be delivered (28% of respondents)
- I am willing to wait up to 6 days for my package to be delivered (14% of respondents)
- I am willing to wait up to three weeks for my package to be delivered (10% of respondents)
- I am willing to wait up to one month for my package to be delivered (10% of respondents)
- I am willing to wait 2 months or more for my package to be delivered (6% of respondents)
Despite not actually having received a package, many Americans report having a sense of ownership over their package delivery before it has even arrived. Almost 80% of surveyed respondents say they feel that item belongs to them as soon as they have placed the order with the online vendor. If a package is delivered for whatever reason, many reports being anxious about delays. Almost 75% of those surveyed said they get nervous when they find out an online order is delayed. There are also some consumers that get addicted to the process of checking delivery tracking. As I mentioned above, many people check delivery updates several times a day and almost 7 in 10 reports that they feel addicted to delivery tracking.
Which states have the most delayed package deliveries?
With the rise of online shopping and ecommerce, package delays happen year around, not just around the holiday shopping season. States and cities across the country report delays in packages being delivered on time. 4over performed an additional analysis that looked at which states are searching the most in Google for delayed deliveries. The analysis found that rural locations with dispersed populations are more likely to deal with package delays. While this may not be totally surprising for some, it is nice to see the hard data that backs this up. The full state breakdowns can be seen in the full report and corresponding graphics.
Infographic by: 4over.com
