This year, online shopping in Australia is predicted to reach more than $5 billion this Christmas alone. Almost six in 10 (58%) Australians worry their parcels could be stolen in their absence and 41% believe they are not provided enough delivery options to ensure security, according to new research from Australian parcel collection network, Hubbed.
In appears their fears are well-founded, with one in four Australians losing their parcels to ‘porch pirates’ in the last five years.
The findings come from an independent, nationally representative panel of 1,010 Australian shoppers commissioned by Hubbed.
The younger the shopper, the more likely they were to worry over the security of their deliveries: 68% of 18-30-year-olds fear their parcel will be stolen if delivered when they are not home, compared with 45% of over-50s.
The survey indicated fears of parcel theft are also impacting how and where Australians choose to have their parcels delivered if they are not at home.
Nearly half (45%) admitted they do not have a safe spot outside their home for parcel deliveries.
To ensure the security of their items, almost one-quarter (23%) of respondents said they request signature on delivery or re-delivery to the post office.
Almost a fifth (18%) choose to have some parcels delivered directly to their post office, while 15% would prefer to pick up parcels from a local collection point, such as a retail outlet, and 14% opt for delivery to their workplace.
Despite signature-on-delivery being cited as the most popular delivery choice to secure parcels, many courier services across Australia have had to remove the service this year due to social restrictions.
When asked if they would prefer for parcels to be delivered to a secure 24-hour location over their home, in the absence of signature-on-delivery options, 54% of Australians said yes.
Hubbed CEO and founder David McLean said it was “understandable” that many Australians were concerned, given many have shifted their spending habits and turned to online shopping.
“It is interesting to see a significant portion of shoppers believe there are aren’t enough options available to them to ensure the safety of their parcels,” he said.
“With this in mind, retailers should consider offering multiple delivery choices such as collection points and parcel lockers to alleviate fears around the security of deliveries.
“This is particularly important given ‘authority to leave’ became the default delivery method for many carriers this year amid social restrictions.”
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