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More than half of Australia’s online shoppers are affected by damaged, lost, or stolen goods, according to results from a new survey released by Ship-Safely.
Results showed that a significant number of online shoppers, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, have experienced issues with their purchases during the delivery process.
As many as 64 per cent of online shoppers reported they received items in damaged condition or even did not receive them at all, due to loss or theft during the process to a customer’s doorstep.
The survey was carried out earlier this year with more than 1000 Australians across the nation participating.
Ship-Safely CEO and Co-founder Darren Milne said the issue at hand was worsening, with more Australians facing lengthy delays for replacements, or worse, being left out of pocket.
“We all know someone that has had a parcel arrive damaged or not at all, and unfortunately this can mean significant time and money implications for consumers and also the online retailers, through no-fault-of-their-own,” he said.
The results from Ship-Safely’s survey follow findings from other surveys around the world, with a recent report in the United States outlining 49 million Americans had at least one package stolen within the last year.
That particular survey also indicated that more than a quarter of consumers, 31 per cent, had their Christmas presents damaged, lost or stolen last year, with 75 per cent of the gifts valued at over $50.
It also showed 63 per cent of online shoppers reported having to purchase another item or give a late gift after their original purchase arrived after Christmas.
And, 78 per cent of these consumers anticipate spending several hours of their time dealing with the process of getting replacements or refunds for items that were damaged, lost, or stolen during delivery.
Mr Milne said online consumers were beginning to look for better solutions to these significant delivery issues.
“Our research shows they are tired of delays in resolving issues, with almost half saying it had taken them days, weeks or even months to get an outcome, with 5 per cent never seeing the problem sorted out at all and others completely giving up hope,” he said.
“This is a growing issue throughout the world, including in Australia where 73 per cent are now buying online at least once a month, and 36 per cent are buying weekly.”
Results from Ship-Safely’s survey also showed that 56 per cent of consumers blamed merchants for their delivery issues, and more than 40 per cent said they would pay for additional shipping protection to ensure their purchased goods arrive safely and on time.
Ship-Safely recently launched its global product following a six-month pilot program with 100 online merchants across Australia, the US and Europe, to ensure it was able to enhance the experiences for merchants and customers.
Trial retailer, Ed Leaney, from one of Australia’s leading online uniform shops, Focus Uniforms, said the innovative Ship-Safely product was a must for any e-commerce business.
“Ship-Safely makes sure that, when items get lost-in-transit, the items are replaced quickly and ensuring that our customers are not left without uniforms and at the same time we were not left out of pocket,” he said.
