Willemijn van Dolen | Sustainable product, but long delivery time: how long will you wait?
Would you wait a year and a half for your new, sustainable sneakers? Columnist Willemijn van Dolen did, although with some doubts. “In the emails, the company addressed buyers as fellow pioneers and mentioned that out of 533 people, only three had pulled out. It made me stay.”
Online shopping is the epitome of convenience. You order something, and often it arrives at your doorstep the very next day. But what happens when the opposite happens? I can relate: I ordered sustainable, vegan, biodegradable trainers from a start-up. I was looking forward to them! The only problem? I had to wait almost a year and a half for delivery.
To be honest: when I bought the shoes, I knew the expected delivery time was 12 to 16 weeks. They made only those shoes that were actually ordered: made on demand. That was fine with me; I had every sympathy for running a sustainable and small-scale business. But weeks turned into months, and the months piled up. In between, I regularly received long e-mails explaining why the delivery was delayed again. I often thought: I quit. I'll cancel the whole thing. But that didn't feel right either. It was a start-up, and if too many people drop out, the whole mission is jeopardised. They also cleverly played on that by addressing us as fellow pioneers and mentioning that out of 533 people, only 3 had dropped out. It made me stay. When the shoes finally arrived, they turned out to be beautiful and lovely. Thankfully, I have no idea what would have happened if I had wanted to exchange them.
At the other end of the spectrum are lightning-fast deliveries. We know from research that fast delivery times make customers more likely to make a purchase. So that seems like an important service for a company. But that is too short of the mark. Because a recent study at a fashion retailer shows that super-fast delivery leads to more returns. This is because fast deliveries give customers less time to rationalise their purchase. You barely have time to think: This was a really good choice. Before you know it, you have the item in your hands, and if you still have doubts, you send it back. New customers are especially prone to this.
So what is the ideal delivery time? According to the research, that question is complicated. Fast delivery increases the likelihood of returns, extremely long delivery times cause dissatisfied customers. The key seems to lie in a balanced approach: fast enough to keep customers happy, and long enough to let the purchase sink in.
For retailers, this research is a wake-up call, especially for online apparel, where return rates are typically high. Super-fast deliveries seem attractive, but you would rather have a satisfied customer than a return that incurs high costs; return shipping costs, but also because the garment has to be cleaned, packed and shipped again.
Besides financial costs, there are also environmental costs. Research results show that within the EU, between 22% and 44% of returned clothing products never reach another consumer and are destroyed. So then the emissions created in making the jumper are for nothing. A possible solution? Retailers can link longer delivery times to climate impact. Imagine: you consciously choose climate-friendly delivery, optimising logistics to reduce CO2 emissions. According to the study, customers who consciously choose such an option would not only be more satisfied, but also less likely to return their order.
Just as I was finishing this column, I received an email from the start-up: due to a manufacturing error, the lace holes of the shoes may tear. I will get a new pair in September 2025. So a total of 2 years’ delivery time. The ultimate rationalisation test: how long will you keep believing This was really a good choice? Your columnist still thinks it is!
