Shoppers make last-minute purchases, doubt delivery times

The Eptica Christmas 2011 Retail Experience Study found 46 percent of U.K. shoppers will be making last minute online purchases in the week right before December 25 this year, but 67 percent of consumers do not trust retailers to get their packages delivered on time. Plus, 27 percent of shoppers expect their deliveries to arrive too late for Christmas.

One reason shoppers do not trust delivery times is because there is unclear information or no information at all regarding delivery policies on many ecommerce sites, the study revealed. Thus, consumers feel uninformed about the status of their delivery items.

The study found 85 percent of top online retail sites failed to provide adequate details about ordering dates to guarantee delivery by Christmas day, and the majority do not inform consumers of standard delivery information, or require them to contact the retailer for more information.

While etailers might be well-advised to improve their delivery information prior to Christmas, they should also prepare for Cyber Monday, considered the busiest online shopping day of the year. Huffington Post U.K. reported Cyber Monday came about after retailers started offering significant discounts on items the Monday after the American Thanksgiving holiday. While the trend started in the United States, the tradition has spread to Europe.