Survey Report

The Retail
Expectation
Gap

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  • In association with
  • Parcelhub logo

What is the Retail Expectation Gap?

The world of ecommerce has undergone a lot of changes and new hurdles in the last year. And due to this rush to online selling, consumer demographics and shopping habits have shifted, and retailers have been scrambling to keep up, especially when it comes to delivery, fulfilment and returns. Do what consumers expect and what retailers have to offer match up? We surveyed 1000 consumers and 100 retail decision makers in organisations across the UK to find out.

This report reveals…

  • Consumers’ preferences when it comes to post purchase communication, delivery options, and returns
  • The discrepancies between what consumers expect vs what retailers are offering when it comes to delivery, fulfilment, and returns
  • Technology that is critical for merchants to be able to offer the experience customers are looking for
  • The importance of a seamless returns process as eCommerce continues to boom
Retail expectation gap phone illustration

Highlights from the research

  • 47%

    of retailers lose customers due to missed or delayed deliveries

  • 22%

    Only 22% of retailers believe they currently offer the best post-sales process possible

  • 97%

    97% of consumers agree post purchase information is important to them

  • 96%

    of consumers consider the ability to return an item to be important when deciding whether to shop with a brand

"We’re advocates of integrated order and delivery management because it automates a lot of day-to-day processes, which empowers our team to focus on managing the business in areas such as sales, marketing, product sourcing and customer service. Our back office system and DMP gives us a single source of truth on all of our customers’ buying and delivery experiences, and it is confidence-inspiring to know that there have been instances where an order comes in and is dispatched within as little as 3 minutes. Could never happen without an integrated back office system and DMP."

Paul Thomas, Director, Over The Top Textiles


Download the Report

Brightpearl and Parcelhub have teamed up to uncover the Retail Expectation Gap! What exactly does this mean? Well, the world of ecommerce has seen a massive acceleration in growth, and in turn a lot of fast moving change.

This report reveals…

  • Consumers' preferences when it comes to post purchase communication, delivery options, and returns The discrepancies between what consumers expect vs what retailers are offering when it comes to delivery, fulfilment, and returns
  • Technology that is critical for merchants to be able to offer the experience customers are looking for
  • The importance of a seamless returns process as eCommerce continues to boom

Download the report today to find out what consumers expect vs. what retailers are offering so you can make sure your brand is closing the gap!