Study: Half of online shoppers did not receive a package they ordered in past six months

GaryPageau , ,
Graph – Why packages aren’t delivered

As the holiday season approaches, consumer awareness of “porch pirates,” or thieves who target deliveries left in open spaces, surges, according to recent research. Clutch, a leading B2B ratings and reviews firm, surveyed online shoppers and found more than half (51%) say they did not receive at least one package they ordered online in the past six months.

51% of online shoppers have not received at least one package they ordered online

Among those who did not receive a package, 16% say the package was stolen. Nearly one-third (29%) aren’t sure why their package was never delivered.

Clutch recommends different strategies for protecting packages:

  • Installing a secure dropbox for packages
  • Installing a security camera to identify and to deter thieves
  • Using a service such as Amazon Key, which allows couriers to access your home and leave packages inside

Almost two-thirds of online shoppers (57%) say their packages are usually left in an outdoors, unsecured area such as a front porch.

The largest percentage of missing packages (32%) disappear in the mail. According to Clutch, the United States Postal Service handles 484.4 million pieces of mail every day. Private delivery services carry high volumes of packages, too: FedEx handles 6.2 million packages, and UPS handles 20.7 million packages and documents daily. With such a high volume of deliveries, it’s easy to see how some parcels disappear.

“The top two reasons packages get ‘lost’ in the mail are due to the wrong address on the shipping label, followed by [a] missing shipping label,” said Karan Singh, Principal at Kersch Partners, a business management consulting firm that offers supply chain and consumer packaging consulting.

What customers and businesses can do regarding parcels lost in the mail depends heavily on the delivery service and if the item was insured.

“If the package was insured, the consumer can file a claim,” Singh said. “If not, the majority of delivery service providers assume no liability for lost packages sent by a third-party retailer.”

Instead, any refunds or new shipments must be negotiated between the retailer and the customer.