Wednesday 24 November 2021 2:03 pm

Willingness to ‘punish’ retailers: Supply chain crisis leaves Brits worse off than Americans and Europeans

As the Office for Budget Responsibility recently reported that the UK’s supply chain bottlenecks have been exacerbated by Brexit, new data shows this morning that Brits report far worse delivery experiences than consumers in France, Germany, and the US.

While the crisis is being presented as ‘global’, UK online consumers report disproportionate affects, with nearly two fifths (39 per cent) claiming they had placed an order that never arrived, compared to just 18 per cent in the US, 22 per cent in France, and 23 per cent in Germany.

The research, conducted by operations experience management firm ParcelLab, found the Brits were let down more than Europeans and Americans when it came to online shopping.

UK consumers reported widespread delays with 41 per cent of online consumers saying a package did not arrive when they needed it.

Just 23 per cent of French online consumers reported a similar experience, while in Germany and the US it was 27 per cent and 29 per cent respectively, still far below the level seen in the UK.

Such unequal shopping experiences in the face of a supposedly global supply chain crisis is testing consumer brand loyalty to the limit, with UK shoppers reporting a greater willingness to punish and demand more of retailers when compared to their European and American counterparts.

35% of UK online consumers who had a negative experience said it made them unwilling to order from that retailer again, compared to 21 per cent in France, 23 per cent in the US, and 25 per cent in Germany.

9 in 10 Brits are worried that the supply chain crisis is here to stay

UK online consumers who had a negative experience were also more likely to develop a negative outlook on the both the retailer and delivery service provider following a poor experience, with almost half (49 per cent) of the same saying they have had to contact customer services to find out where their package is.

This has led to UK consumers demanding more in response to having sub-par delivery experiences.

Higher rates of UK consumers (61 per cent) said they wanted retailers to notify them when packages were shipped, while 66 per cent said they would like the retailer to provide regular updates on where the package is and a further 47 per cent wanting the option to view it on a map, while 65 per cent said they would like to have immediate updates if there are any issues and delays.

“Consumer expectations are not unreasonable because the pandemic has accelerated trends in e-commerce with online shopping becoming the default option for many,” said Tobias Buxhoidt, Founder and CEO of parcelLab.”

“Consumers have come to expect an efficient and reliable delivery experience [but] this is not currently being delivered, especially in the UK.”

“While some delays may be unavoidable, the key for businesses is to ensure the customer is kept at the heart of everything. Clear and transparent communication is of paramount importance so that expectations can be effectively managed,” he said.

“The willingness of UK consumers to punish brands that do not prioritise the customers experience shows just how important it is to provide proactive assistance and consistent communication after the customer has hit that order button, these will be the businesses that will be remembered most and earn the greatest brand loyalty,” Buxhoidt concluded.

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