As the festive shopping period continues in earnest, I recall an article that I wrote earlier in the year for a leading retail trade publication, citing how important it is for retailers to offer a range of delivery choices to maintain their customers’ loyalty and satisfaction. I went on to ask the question “can we deliver a service fit for a king?” To my frustration and astonishment, flexible delivery options that offer true convenience are still hard to come by.
Back in 2010, I pondered how CitySprint could help. I came to the conclusion that many traditional retailers are not very experienced when it comes to distribution; getting this right, and meeting customer demand for flexible delivery options, would be crucial if they were going to grow their share of the lucrative online shopping market.
It seems to have been only too true when you compare business models such as Comet with the likes of John Lewis at the other end of the spectrum, who truly embraced this challenge. For the same reason, it’s easy to see why many “bricks and mortar” retailers have lost ground to the likes of ASOS and Amazon, who trade on the delivery choice and convenience that they offer. Personally, I do not see this trend changing in the near future.
Over the next few months, I will be discussing this matter with many retailers and I will be challenging why their distribution strategies have not moved forward. I will ask why they are still not offering the choice of delivery services that their customers obviously want.
I do not see CitySprint as the complete solution; I passionately believe that delivery services such as same day, scheduled and evening delivery through our MyTime offering, are simply choices that should be aligned with every other possible choice, such as next day, Royal Mail, click & collect, delivery to a local store or a secure box and so on.
Delivery choice that enhances the client’s shopping experience needs to be at the core of every retailer’s eCommerce strategy.
If the customer is king, retailers should prove it.
Patrick Gallagher
Chief Executive of CitySprint (UK) Limited
Chief Executive of CitySprint (UK) Limited
