Greeks on Courier services: 54% satisfied with the use of their services

Delays in deliveries by courier services are the main problem faced by almost all users (84%) and with extreme intensity (52%).

This conclusion is reflected in a nationwide survey on the use of courier services and the capture of consumer experience, conducted by EETT during the period January-March 2022.

In particular, the habits of consumers regarding the use of courier services, their overall experience from working with postal companies, the assessment of the speed of delivery, the knowledge about automated mailboxes and their future use, as well as the knowledge for the hosts of complaints / grievances.

The survey was conducted by Metron Analysis, through telephone and online interviews with a sample of 2,004 people aged 18 and over, using a structured questionnaire.

Findings

The main conclusions of the research can be summarized as follows:

Habits of use

* 22% of respondents are intensive users, ie they use courier services from 3-4 times a month to several times a week. 29% are users of moderate intensity (use 1-2 times a month) while 50% make sparse use (once per quarter up to once per semester). At the demographic level, lower service penetration is observed among retirees and older people (65+), while higher intensity is observed among the self-employed and those aged 25-34.

* 93% of respondents have received a package from an online purchase. The advent of the pandemic has significantly increased these purchases, with 82% of users making them more often than ever before. It is noted that 5 out of 10 respondents stated that they receive a parcel from the online market at least once a month.

* Delivery speed is the main reason for using courier services in all demographic groups (77%). This is followed by reliability (41%), additional services such as the ability to track the shipment (38%) and the best service (36%).

* In relation to the delivery time, about 1 in 2 users has used the next day delivery, 1 in 3 the delivery at specific times and 1 in 5 the same day delivery.

* As for the place of delivery, users are accustomed to picking up at their home / workplace (9 out of 10) or at a courier store (5 out of 10).

* Track and trace collects usage rates around 80% in all demographic groups, except those aged 65+ and residents of rural areas. This is followed by the parcel return service with 34%, which is intensified at the young ages of 18-24 years (46%) and especially to the students (49%).

* The most popular categories for online shopping are clothing / footwear (68%) and electrical / electronic devices 63% respectively.

* 7 in 10 users say they have noticed the possibility of choosing a courier provider when shopping online. The choice of provider in this case is based on the price / time combination, taking into account the reliability of the courier company. It is noted that the possibility of choosing a provider in online shopping is declared desirable by 80% of users.

User experiences

* 54% say they are satisfied or very satisfied with the use of courier services, while the dissatisfaction rate is 9%.

* 62% of users say they are satisfied with the condition of the parcels and tracking / monitoring services, however 27% are dissatisfied with the cost of the services. Also, significant percentages of dissatisfaction are found in the assessment of experience in terms of delivery speed (15%), customer service (13%), parcel return (11%) and branch network (10%).

* 75% of users have contacted the customer service (customer service) of a provider for a problem, with 43% being satisfied with this contact compared to 23% expressing dissatisfaction, both due to difficulty of access and due to low level of service.

* Delivery delays are the main problem faced by almost all users (84%) and with extreme intensity (52%). In particular, when it comes to online shopping, 38% of users are dissatisfied with both the delivery time and the shipping cost of the parcels.

Knowledge of automatic / automated lockers

* The majority of users (72%) are not aware of the possibility of using automatic / automated lockers, while in the perspective of their use, 33% are positive (mainly young people aged 25-34) and 37% are negative (mainly ages 65+).

* As supporting factors for the future use of lockers, the receipt / delivery in places that facilitate the user and the convenient delivery time stand out, while the deterrent factors include the lack of security, the need to move and the absence of human contact.

EETT’s research is part of the monitoring of the postal market by the Authority, while the presentation of the conclusions aims to evaluate the experience and habits of users, taking into account the specific conditions of the pandemic, with the aim of improving services and further development. of the industry.