New research by delivery company DPD reveals that 23 per cent of people have bought goods online using their smartphone while 19 per cent have shopped online using a tablet computer.
The research shows that the m-commerce trend is set to continue with a quarter of people (24 per cent) saying that they expect to shop via their smartphone or tablet device in the next 12 months. Online shopping apps are key to the m-commerce revolution – 23 per cent of tablet and smartphone users have downloaded online shopping apps to help them make transactions more easily.
Dwain McDonald, DPD’s CEO commented, “Technology has revolutionised the way we shop from researching product features, to finding the best deal, through to doorstep delivery. In the space of just a few years m-commerce has grown from zero to an increasingly important retail channel. The m-commerce boom is hugely significant for retailers as internet-connected mobile phones and tablets give customers instant access to the high-street, 24/7.
“Technology savvy home shoppers now not only expect to be able to browse and buy products whenever and wherever, they expect the same access to information when it comes to the delivery of the goods they’ve ordered. In developing their mobile platforms retailers need to consider the whole customer experience from product search and secure sale, through to delivery. Capturing customers’ email and mobile contact details are an essential part of this process. An online sale isn’t complete until the goods arrive on the customer’s doorstep and many shoppers expect to be able to track the progress of their parcel.”
DPD was the first UK national carrier to launch a mobile website allowing customers to track their packages or rearrange delivery while on the move. Customers logged onto the site are able to alter the delivery day of their parcel to a more convenient date, arrange for it to be left in a safe place, or collect it from the local depot or an alternative address where they know someone will be in to receive it. If for any reason there are any delays both the retailer and the recipient are automatically informed by text or email.
Dwain McDonald continued, “Our tracking system means that we know at every point where a parcel is and if a van is delayed for any reason we can now automatically send an email or a text to the customers with a parcel on that van. With initiatives like this and Predict, which sends a personalised text message or email to give customers a precise one-hour window for their deliveries, we’re aiming to fill the information void between online purchase and delivery, but it is dependent on retailers capturing the contact information.”
Since its introduction at the end of 2011 over 1.8 million people have used DPD’s mobile site to track over 3.2 million parcels.
Over 97 per cent of parcels delivered using Predict are delivered ‘right first time’. However, all DPD’s ‘sorry we missed you’ calling cards are printed with a QR (quick response) code. Customers can simply scan the code using a smartphone which takes them instantly to the relevant DPD mobile webpage to reorganise delivery. DPD was the first carrier to use QR codes to rearrange deliveries. Since its launch in November 2011 in excess of 100,000 deliveries have been rearranged using the QR codes printed on DPD’s calling cards.