NEWSWORTHY
Survey: Shoppers OKwith pandemic-relateddelivery delays … as longas they’re kept informed
Shoppers are forgiving when itcomes to delivery delays in the timeof coronavirus, but they expect clearcommunication from retailers aboutexpected delivery dates, according toan April survey of 1,000 consumers bythe logistics technology firm Convey.
The survey found that the majority of shoppers (60%) don’t expectretailers to have all of the items theywant in stock, and virtually all shoppers (94%) are willing to give retailers more time to deliver items. As forhow much time, 60% of respondentsfelt retailers deserved an extra threeto four days for delivery, while 19%said they were comfortable with anextra five to six days. Seventeen percent said more than seven days wasacceptable.
In return, they expect more proactive communication, with 86% saying it’s important or very importantfor retailers to inform them when anitem will arrive. They also would liketo see the estimated delivery datefor an item shown on the productpage or in the shopping cart, with75% saying they are more likelyto buy when this is the case. And70% say they are less likely to shopwith a retailer again if they are notinformed in advance of a delay.
“Our goal is to shed light on how
consumer behavior is changing in
light of Covid- 19 as well as under-
stand what shoppers expect from
retailers,” Kirsten Newbold-Knipp,
Convey’s chief growth officer, said in
a statement. “There are some bright
spots, including that shoppers are
willing to make concessions when it
comes to in-stock items and delivery
delays. Shoppers were also clear that
transparency about delivery at every
stage of the journey is crucial to
keeping their trust.” n
Commercial real estate giant Prologis said the majority of its customer base
around the world has remained at least partially operational in the face of
the coronavirus pandemic, and that e-commerce and other trends driven by
stay-at-home orders are fostering supply chain resiliency.
In an April report, Customer ResilienceAmid High Economic Volatility, the company said nearly 60% of its customerindustries are growing, despite disruptions caused by the coronavirus. That ispartly due to the company’s diverse customer base, which consists of a roughly 1billion-square-foot portfolio in which nosingle industry accounts for more than
15% of base rent. However, the company said logistics real estate demand
will continue to evolve as consumer behaviors and supply chains shift.
Other key findings of the report include:
b Despite the disruption caused by the coronavirus, roughly 95% of
Prologis’s customers across the globe remain at least partly operational,
largely due to rising e-commerce demand. With online sales surging and
companies shifting to accommodate people sheltering in place, e-fulfillment
operations accounted for nearly 40% of Prologis’s new leasing activity in
March and April.
b China’s work stoppages caused shipments to double at a time when
many customers had no store shelves to fill. This drove increased need for
short-term warehouse space, with a sharp increase in demand from logistics
companies that specialize in supply chain management.
b Consumers may be slow to return to their former habits, as evidencedby weekend traffic in China, which remains well below pre–Covid- 19 levels,even with lifted restrictions. “Preferences for home delivery and dining incould prove sticky, driving continued demand for grocery and essentialgoods,” the researchers said. nPandemic-fueled e-commerce activity
props up industrial real estate market
TJ Morris, a Liverpool, U.K.-based general merchandise and foodretailer, has awarded Witron a contract to design and implementthe handling and fulfillment systems for its 79,000-square-meter(850,350-square-foot) distribution center in Warrington, U.K. Uponcompletion in 2023, the DC will store 12,000 different dry-goodsitems in 470,000 pallet, tray, and tote storage locations. … BastianSolutions, a long-time distributor of the AutoStore grid-based robotic warehousing system in North and South America, India, Australia,and New Zealand, has now signed an agreement to become a globalAutoStore integrator. … Global logistics and supply chain servicescompany Ceva Logistics has extended its market in Italy through therenewal of its logistics contract with Mondadori Group, an Italianpublishing house.
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