It’s 2018 and the new, digitalized world we’re shaping can already be seen in every little thing around us. Mankind is marching towards the unknown and the speed of digitalization keeps rising by the minute.
And everyone needs to adjust. Not just online merchants but business as a whole. And as new devices are being developed combined with the fact that younger and younger consumers are being the main drive on the market, the result is change, and a big one for that matter.
The online delivery business is one of those where new trends keep emerging from one day to the next. We’re writing this article to shed some light on this topic and suggest to you some good tactics for success.
How Millennials Shape Online Delivery
Millennials and the younger generation Z don’t only shape online delivery, they also shape eCommerce as a whole. Their usage of smartphones is changing and shaping how people shop nowadays. mCommerce is bringing more and more revenue and not to mention that the percentage of eCommerce website visitors is higher on mobile devices.
And it will keep rising according to Statista.
U.S. mobile retail commerce sales as a percentage of retail e-commerce sales from 2017 to 2021Not to mention that millennials represent ⅓ of today’s European active population. 51% of European heavy shoppers are millennials. Making a decision based on these statistics means that any future step should be somehow coordinated with the needs of young shoppers.
And heavy shoppers and millennials are keen on a wide range of options when it comes to online delivery.
Here are some more statistics:
- 87% prefer a next day delivery.
- 84% want the possibility to reschedule delivery.
- 81% of millennials prefer several delivery options.
- And 82% want the same day delivery.
That’s quite a demand for web merchants and yet this is how young shoppers shape online delivery today.
Payment Methods
Photo by Ali Morshedlou on UnsplashAnother thing that shapes online delivery trends is the local banking reality, which drives disparities in used payment methods. Usually, credit cards are the most preferred method in markets such as the US and the UK, as well as South Korea. Providers like PayPal and Apple Pay normally support credit cards as a funding source. Statistics show that many consumers in parts of Europe prefer debit cards or even fund transfer services such as Google Wallet and TransferWise.
But in markets with low card penetration such as India and Southeast Asia, a lot of merchants are urged to offer the option to pay with cash when you receive your delivery.
Exactly because of this huge diversity in payment methods, the web merchants who want to start selling cross-border should perhaps consider getting in touch and partnering with a payment services provider that will cover the preferred methods in the target market.
Considering people’s habits in how they pay should be one of the main drives when you figure out your online delivery strategies.
Delivery Places
Photo by Christian Stahl on UnsplashMore often than not, each country has its habits regarding delivery places, too.
For example, in Bulgaria, we’re just now getting used to the fact that courier services can approach our home. The most common thing in the country is to order the purchase to a dispatcher’s office and pick it up from there when you’re available.
This is done because people rarely stay at home and for huge packages, they are used to having a dispatcher’s office to keep them safe until they can pick them up. Or the other extremely preferred option is to have your delivery come to your workplace.
In the States and in many other countries, it’s the opposite. People prefer the delivery to happen to their door. And as we already mentioned, if possible, they want it delivered on the same day.
So, if you’re running an online delivery business or if your e-commerce store is somehow connected or partnered with one, then consider these consumer delivery place habits.
New Technology
And as people start pacing towards a digitalized future, it definitely puts an impact on online purchases delivering.
Delivery drones are officially a thing and they could reduce the time it takes to deliver your goods to your customers. And not only that, they are said to reduce both energy consumption and the release of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
But many researchers say that delivery drones could be a two-edged sword. Yes, it is better than a truck when it comes to energy consumption but the more drones, the more warehouses and that means the more energy you’re using to power and heat and cool them, offsetting the energetic benefits of air delivery.
Read more on the topic from Wired’s article here.
Self-driving cars are another innovation that will slam into the online delivery world with full force. These automatic vehicles will be brought in business by 2021 and will help local deliveries get better and much more efficient. Many US pizza companies are already having them tested and taking notes how people interact with the vehicles.
A new era is coming and it will change online delivery to something much better … or something we won’t be able to control. Feel free to discuss this in the comments with us.
Cross-border E-commerce – The New Trend
Cross-border eCommerce is another growing trend that we must pay attention to because it is tightly connected to managing your delivery business. If you consider selling abroad, we’ve got some tips for you.
Number one is to consider the payment methods we mentioned above in this article. Each country has its own habits when it comes to giving money and you must do a thorough research on your target market so you fit right in. A good research on the local market is actually your best strategy in every eCommerce aspect, not just payment methods. You need to be extra prepared if you’re going cross-border selling.
We suggest some free tools from Google, which will help you with cross-border eCommerce.
Tip number two is if you want to expand internationally, try selling at local marketplaces first to see if your product fits the market and then start building your business strategy. Many web merchants don’t fully exploit the possibilities to service international customers and if you do it right, you have a huge chance of succeeding. It’s scary business but it brings so many opportunities if done right.
As a growing trend, you need to start riding the cross-border wave now when there is still time because soon every web merchant will figure it out and will start selling globally. But that’s a whole other and bigger subject on which we will elaborate on in a later blog post.
Take into consideration all of this and perhaps start considering new trends in online purchases delivering. Many people have responded negatively to our poll on Twitter about whether or not they consider all these things. But we think they are worth thinking about.
According to us, the most important thing merchants need to start paying attention to are the statistics about young people. They are eager to receive their package sooner rather than later. Amazon is already responding to these needs with Amazon Prime and it’s unfair to leave it be the only huge player on the market, right?
Tell us what you think in the comments below. We’d love to start a discussion.
2 Comments
Hi there, I found your site via Google while looking for a similar subject. I have bookmarked it to keep up with future articles.
Hello. Thank you very much. I am glad we could provide you with the content you need. Why were you looking for a similar subject? Do you have an eCommerce store? We’d be happy to help with advices or write a blog post that covers an eCommerce topic you’d like to read about 🙂