Kelkoo uncovers £1.6 billion cost of days 'lost' to waiting for deliveries

Of the people surveyed, just under half (45%) had taken time off work to wait for a delivery and of these people, 22% lied about the reason for their absence. With women most likely to name a Doctor's appointment, sickness or personal problems was their most likely excuse (34%) compared to men (31%). However, men cited working from home (12%) compared to women (8%). Interestingly women were more likely to tell the truth about the reason for their absence from work (41%) compared to men (35%).

Coupled with the frustrations (for both employees and employers) of time taken off work, non-delivery is another major concern with 81% of respondents buying something online only for it not to arrive. The next biggest frustrations were the total costs not being clear upfront (16%), deliveries not arriving in good condition (16%) and late deliveries (10%). Importantly for retailers, 94% of people said they would be unlikely to place further orders with a retailer that failed to deliver.

Bruce Fair, Managing Director, Kelkoo UK said, "People increasingly want to be able to select the exact date and time of their deliveries to minimise the impact on their working day and the need to take a day's holiday. I'd recommend shoppers look for the IDIS (Internet Delivery is Safe) badge as it means that the retailer offers a good choice of delivery times and has good options in place in case of non-delivery".

"On Kelkoo we highlight IDIS retailers upfront and delivery costs are included in prices to avoid the frustrations of hidden costs. Shoppers are increasingly seeking out these options to minimise the impact on their working day with many people also choosing to have smaller items delivered to the office,"