Only 90 per cent of online orders are delivered on time and within the delivery promise of the retailer, according to a study by Prolog, the logistics and communications company.
The survey covered 31 individual e-retailers, including what they offer and promise their customers with regards to the delivery of their orders.
The average delivery promise was 4.97 days. The best was one day and the worst was 14 days.
“However, only 90.12 per cent of the orders placed, as part of this survey, were delivered on time and within the delivery promise of the retailer.”
Commercial director Ian Dignum said: “During the survey period, 9.88 per cent of deliveries were not made within the retailers own promises – a figure that is simply too high to encourage customer loyalty.”
The average price for standard delivery was £3.38, and £6.70 for the next day option.
One in five retailers offered free standard delivery. The average basket value to qualify for free delivery was £72.86.
Two in five companies offered selected day delivery but less than one third offered time slot delivery.
And less than a quarter of companies allowed the customer to give specific instructions to the carrier, such as place of delivery.
Collect in store is an increasingly popular option for retailers as it encourages footfall in the shops. The survey found that some 60 per cent of retailers offered this service.