The international delivery experience

With more and more UK retailers seeking growth internationally, a surprising fact uncovered by ecommerce services provider Snow Valley is that 48 percent of UK retailers still don’t deliver overseas.

For the second consecutive year, Snow Valley carried out research to see how easy it is for shoppers living abroad to buy online from UK retailers. Delivering the highlights at this year’s ECMOD conference at the Business Design Centre, London, 1st December, marketing manager Sarah Clelland shared key takeaways from the report, which will be made public just before Christmas.

Last year, Snow Valley created a panel of international shoppers in countries including China, Hong Kong, the US and Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Brazil, South Africa, and several countries in Europe. It then tested 76 UK retailers that offered overseas delivery. This year, Snow Valley sought 79 shoppers in 14 countries to get a fuller picture of the delivery process.

Among the findings shared by Clelland during her presentation:

Only two shoppers visited sites in their local language
Out of the 79 shoppers tested, only two shopped from sites in their local language. It’s noteworthy however, that 28 shoppers said their local language was English. Forty-nine shoppers had no choice but to shop in English. Clelland’s tip for retailers was to know where their market is and target languages to that market. For instance, if you have a big following in Germany or France, make the effort to communicate to your customers using their language. Or if you’re planning a push into South America, translate your website to maximise your chances of success.

More retailers adopt local currencies
Last year, just 12 shoppers could buy using their local currency—approximately one in five shoppers. This year, that figure was 26 out of 79—a third of all shoppers.  As with language, Clelland noted that retailers don’t need to include every currency. If you’re targeting the Nordics, for instance, consider offering customers the option of paying via Danish kroner, Norwegian kroner, and Swedish kronor. But if you don’t have much of a following in Canada, you can probably get away with just offering your North American customers prices in US dollars.

Delivery charges more transparent
Another improvement this year is that delivery costs are communicated to customers at the basket stage. This year, 32 shoppers said they knew how much they would be charged for delivery to their country before completing the purchase. However, there was some confusion as to whether the “free delivery” offer emblazoned across the website applied to international customers too, and that’s something retailers should look to address.

Delivery charges are coming down
The average price for overseas delivery has come down from £14.27 last year to £12.35 this year, with prices lower across all territories except the Far East and Africa. Some retailers, such as Asos, offered free delivery worldwide, while others charged up to £50 for delivery. What’s more, paying for a premium service doesn’t necessarily mean the goods get there faster. Snow Valley noted several shoppers paying up to £5 in p&p and receiving their goods within four days, while some services that cost considerably more took more than seven days to arrive.