New research from InPost UK reveals a growing disconnect between the way young adults live and the way parcels are delivered. Almost half (49 per cent) of 18–30-year-olds surveyed are away from home during traditional 9am–5pm delivery hours at least four days a week, creating an "Always Out Generation" whose work, study and social lives increasingly clash with traditional delivery models that rely on them being at home.
Work is cited as the most common reason keeping 18–30-year-olds surveyed away from home (44 per cent), followed by shopping and errands (32 per cent), socialising (30 per cent) and studying (30 per cent).
Being away from home so frequently is having a direct impact on how younger consumers receive their parcels. Four in ten (41 per cent) 18–30-year-olds surveyed have missed a parcel delivery in the past year, while 43 per cent have waited at home instead of going out because of one. Almost a third (31 per cent) have rearranged plans to receive a parcel, 29 per cent have relied on a friend, neighbour or family member to accept one, and 28 per cent have collected a parcel later than planned.
The issue is that what was traditionally considered convenient in delivery has not kept pace with the way people live. Home delivery remains an important part of the delivery mix, but for consumers moving between work, study, errands and social plans, convenience increasingly means having the choice to receive a parcel in a way that works around their day.
For retailers, this presents an opportunity to give customers greater control over the final stage of their online shopping journey. Consumers are already accustomed to choice throughout ecommerce, from how they shop and pay to where and when they make a purchase. Extending that choice to delivery at checkout means shoppers can select the option that best fits their individual circumstances, whether that is home delivery, a locker or another out-of-home option.
British retailer Superdry’s experience shows what this can look like in practice. After introducing InPost Locker delivery as an alternative to home delivery, InPost’s share of checkout reached as high as 49 per cent when it became Superdry’s sole free delivery option. Superdry has also recorded up to a 19 per cent reduction in the total cost of delivery, while customers using InPost were four times less likely to contact its customer care team than those using other delivery methods.
Consumers are clear about the flexibility they value. Six in ten (61 per cent) 18–30-year-olds surveyed say 24/7 access would improve their delivery and returns experience, while more than half (54 per cent) want collection and returns options close to home. Seven in ten (71 per cent) agree that parcel deliveries and returns should fit around their lifestyle, rather than the other way around.
“Home delivery can only be convenient when being at home is convenient. For a generation moving between work, study, errands and social lives, that increasingly isn’t the reality," said Michael Rouse, CEO International of InPost UK.
Consumer expectations have moved on. People expect services to fit around their lives and delivery should be no different. Convenience is no longer about one delivery method – it is about giving people the freedom to choose what works for them, whether that is their front door, a locker or another out-of-home option.
The next step for our industry is to make that choice a standard part of the online shopping experience. That is the direction InPost is driving - building the network, technology and retailer partnerships that give consumers greater control over how they receive and return their parcels. The future of delivery will be defined by choice and by making the parcel fit around the person, not the person around the parcel.”
The findings reveal the reality of the Always Out Generation:
- Almost half (49 per cent) of 18–30-year-olds surveyed are away from home during 9am–5pm delivery hours at least four days a week
- Four in ten (41 per cent) have missed a parcel delivery in the past 12 months
- 43 per cent have waited at home instead of going out because of a parcel
- Almost a third (31 per cent) have rearranged plans to receive a parcel
- 29 per cent have asked a friend, neighbour or family member to accept a parcel because they weren’t home
- 28 per cent have collected a parcel later than planned
- Six in ten (61 per cent) say 24/7 access would improve their delivery and returns experience
- More than half (54 per cent) want collection and returns options close to home
- Seven in ten (71 per cent) agree that parcel deliveries and returns should fit around their lifestyle, rather than the other way around