How online convenience drives customer preferences
eCommerce sales in the UK are on the rise and are expected to reach 18% of the total retail sales in 2018, according to Statista.
This represents a slight but steady increase from 16.9% predicted for 2017 and 15.6% for 2016, suggesting customers are becoming more and more comfortable shopping online.
The first half of the year has been difficult for many high street retailers. Two of the well-known UK companies, Toys R Us and Maplin, fell into administration, whereas department store chain Debenhams has recently announced an 85% drop in their profits.
The shift towards online shopping is often mentioned as one of the reasons behind the “High Street Crisis”. With the growth of eCommerce, customer expectations are also increasing, and one of them is timely delivery.
Research by E-commerce Nation revealed that 37% of online shoppers would never use the same online retailer again if they were unhappy with their delivery experience, whereas 44% of online buyers except free delivery without any minimum spend, according to Royal Mail.
A new research from Whistl has shown that British customers are spending around £2bn a year on online delivery subscriptions, including Amazon Prime and ASOS Premier. The online schemes are not only convenient and offer savings, they often come with other benefits such as exclusive shopping deals too.
Apart from timely, hassle-free delivery, the presentation of products on arrival is also very important in making sure your customers have a positive shopping experience with your brand.
Here’s some advice to achieve this from our packaging experts:
Firstly, ensure your packaging is neat and offers a good fit for the products inside. Packaging that is too big or too small for its contents will not offer adequate transit protection, which may result in damage. As we know, overpackaging gives customers a negative experience with your brand.
Secondly, parcels that are easy to open and can be reused for returns will help impress your customers! Nobody likes to struggle with difficult packaging or look for alternative packaging to return unwanted or faulty items.
Remember, the better experience that customers have with your brand, the more likely they are to use you again and recommend you to others.
Lastly, consider going the extra mile by printing your logo or a personalised message on your packaging. Nothing delights customers as much as a pleasant surprise upon parcel opening!
At Macfarlane Packaging, we can help you lift your product presentation to the next level by offering cost-effective, bespoke packaging solutions that meet your specific requirements.
Contact us today: www.macfarlanepackaging.com/contact
