Logistics is a key element for eShopper satisfaction: facilitating pickup and return of online orders by offering alternative solutions to traditional home delivery is indeed a key point of the consumer journey.
NetRetail 2023: Italy and new digital shopping behaviors
This is what emerges from the research “NetRetail 2023: Italy and New Digital Purchasing Behaviors” presented at Netcomm Forum 2023 by Roberto Liscia, president of the Netcomm Consortium, who stressed the need to spread the culture of Out Of Home in Italy, as has already happened in other European countries, to ensure not only a better shopping experience, but also to boost the sustainability – economic and social – of eCommerce.
Growing deliveries at Locker and Pickup Points
From 2014 to 2023, in fact, deliveries at Pickup Points and Lockers have increased from 7.3 percent of total product purchases, to 15.9 percent, with an important leap recorded particularly in the last two years: after a slight decrease in 2021 (10.5 percent), OOH deliveries have in fact returned to growth, a sign that consumers increasingly appreciate and demand alternative forms of delivery that can offer them greater flexibility.
Italy: the country with the fewest porters in Europe
“Today, pickup versus home delivery has grown. This phenomenon is linked to several factors,” Liscia explained. “First of all, the way we live and work has changed; in fact, we are more often on the move. On the other hand, the offer has also organized itself to offer this opportunity to consumers. Italy is evolving a lot in this respect, in line with what is already happening in the rest of Europe. Suffice it to say that in Poland 45% of eShoppers already use Lockers to pick up products, including for C2C shipments. Let’s also remember that, according to our research, Italy is the country with the fewest porters in Europe; this means that being able to pick up goods at Pickup Points and Lockers is convenient for many families who are increasingly trusting this modality, which contributes, as a result, to the growth of e-commerce as well.”
Why consumers choose a website
In fact, looking at the reasons why consumers choose to buy from a particular website or app, low delivery fees, easy and free returns, and good delivery service turn out to be key factors for 24.7 percent, 13.1 percent, and 12.7 percent of Italian eShoppers, respectively.
And that’s not all. According to Geopost’s eShopper barometer – a study based on a detailed analysis of nearly 24,000 eShoppers spread across 22 European countries, revealing the most interesting insights for the future of the industry – more than 70 percent of Europeans who shop online demand accurate and detailed delivery information, as well as more flexibility. Elements that OOH is able to offer.
The benefits for merchants
Not to mention that thanks to buyer pickup at Pickup Points, merchants also reduce the risk of issues and uncertainties during delivery, thus eliminating the problem of empty deliveries and related environmental costs.
Benefits for the environment
Speaking of sustainability, as we have already recounted, according to data from the Milan Polytechnic’s B2c eCommerce Observatory, thanks to Parcel Lockers, it is possible to save up to 73 percent in Co2 emissions in urban and up to 76 percent in non-urban contexts, as long as the customer does not move away from what is the route he or she would normally have traveled.
In short, if logistics acquires an increasingly important role within the consumer journey of Italians, the need to offer a wider range of delivery options is also growing at the same pace, and the solution would seem to come from Out Of Home.
But how to integrate Lockers and Pickup Points to your own online store?
Fortunately, you’re in the right place! Yes, because Gel Proximity is the world’s first technology that places Last Mile Logistics at the center of the purchasing process, directly managing the relationship between checkout and the Proximity solution you choose to pick up or return a package. In fact, thanks to GEL Proximity you can integrate over 125,000 already active Pickup Points and Lockers throughout the country and internationally to your online store.
Contact us to find out more!
