Hamilton, NJ, November 13, 2018 – Voxware, a leading provider of cloud-based voice and analytic supply chain solutions, today announced the results from its fourth biennial holiday shopping survey. Retailers will be eager to learn that 83% of consumers intend to purchase more gifts in 2018 than they did the previous year. However, consumer expectations are even higher this year as well.
87% of consumers have a higher expectation for correct and on-time delivery during the holiday season than any other time during the year. 86% of shoppers believe their expectations for correct and on-time delivery is higher now than it was two years ago. In fact, 48% of those surveyed now expect to receive their holiday purchases within two days using standard shipping, a 14% increase from 2016.
Online shopping will again be a primary source for holiday gifts. 45% of shoppers intend to complete 50% or more of their online shopping on Black Friday while another 40% intend to complete 50% or more on Cyber Monday. A whopping 57% of shoppers intend to purchase 50% or more of their gifts from Amazon this year.
While many retailers will be delighted with some of these numbers, they better ensure their distribution operations are optimized for the seasonal surge to guarantee the correct item is delivered on time. Less than 14% of those polled will likely shop with that retailer again if the product doesn’t arrive within two days of the promised delivery date. And if the item is incorrect the first time, 31% of shoppers will abandon shopping with that retailer altogether.
“Consumers have many choices for where they shop,” said Keith Phillips, President and CEO of Voxware. “They trust that when they submit their order, what they ordered will show up on their doorstep and when it’s promised. If not, they will take their business elsewhere and that particular retailer might be the next filing Chapter 11. Consumer expectations during the holidays continues to rise and retailers must deliver or face harsh consequences.”
One other reality that retailers need to be aware of is the increased role social media plays in shopping habits. According to the survey, if delivery is late or the wrong item is received, more than 78% of consumers will share their negative experiences online about that product or retailer.
Retailers rely on Voxware VMS to improve speed, accuracy and efficiency across all functions in the distribution center. Using Voxware VMS, customers realize immediate improvements in accuracy, double-digit productivity gains, reduced labor and operating expenses and complete visibility into the entire distribution operations. By supporting multimodal technologies across all workflows, Voxware allows its customers to choose the right solution at the right time, whether that be voice, scanning or vision through its Augmented Reality solution.
More than five hundred consumers were surveyed about their holiday shopping plans, their expectations for delivery of items that they purchase online during the holiday season and the impact that late or incorrect deliveries have on their future shopping decisions. More results from this survey will be released in December.
About Voxware
Voxware offers technology solutions that deliver essential supply chain information exactly when and where it’s needed, optimizing the speed, accuracy and efficiency of distribution operations. Its product suite includes both warehouse automation and analytics solutions uniquely focused on distribution functions. With these solutions, companies reach an unprecedented understanding of how best to manage their operations, improving profitability by reducing costs and exceeding customer expectations. For more information, please visit www.voxware.com.
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