What is your abandoned cart rate? This and other factors arose in a shipping survey conducted by BigCommerce.
Some survey findings:
+ Fifty-eight percent stopped shopping certain retailers because of a negative shipping experience.
+ Amazon Prime has set a high bar with free two-day shipping. In the past 12 months, 84 percent of global survey respondents made an online purchase specifically because it offered free shipping, and half said they avoid shopping with retailers that don’t offer free delivery. Amazon’s practices, including its recent rollout of free one-day shipping for Prime members, had 68 percent of merchants claiming it is putting unfair pressure on independent retailers, and merchants who handle their own fulfillment see as even more challenging (80 percent).
+ The perception of free shipping doesn’t necessarily match the reality of it, and consumers are OK with that. Nearly 90 percent of Millennials and 85 percent of Gen Zers said they have added items to the cart—spending more than they initially planned to—to hit the minimum order threshold for free shipping. Overall, 84 percent of consumers acknowledged taking part in this practice.
+ Despite consumers’ focus on shipping, retailers aren’t picking up on the issue. The survey found that 47 percent of merchant respondents said they were unaware of their online cart abandonment rate. Only 13 percent offer free shipping on all purchases, while 39 percent offered it tied to a specific dollar amount.
+ Environmental concerns lag behind convenience, as the survey showed just 24 percent of merchants think about the environmental impact of shipping and only 23 percent of consumers try to buy from companies offering recycled packaging. Conversely, 34 percent of merchant respondents and 40 percent of consumers said they never think about the impact of online shopping. Among the generations, Gen Z is the most aware, with 32 percent saying they never think about the environmental impact vs. 39 percent for Millennials and Gen X, 42 percent for Baby Boomers and 50 percent for Seniors. When asked how they would offset the impact, merchants cited reduce the amount of packaging (64 percent), limit delivery options (50 percent) and better align order and box sizes (46 percent).