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Half of Americans plan to start online holiday shopping earlier this year

Overall, 70 percent of Americans consider shipping options to be an important factor in the shopping experience compared to 66 percent in 2013. Also, one-third (33 percent) of respondents said they plan to pay more attention to shipping this year compared to last year.

September 23, 2014

According to a recent survey conducted by Pitney Bowes Inc., half of Americans (49 percent) plan to shop online earlier for gifts this holiday season. The main reason for this decision is to make sure they receive their packages on time (63 percent).

“Last year, holiday shipping challenges stemmed from a perfect storm of record-breaking weather combined with overpromises to deliver orders on time and a last-minute shipping surge,” said Christoph Stehmann, president of e-commerce and shipping solutions at Pitney Bowes. “To help capture holiday sales this year and meet customer expectations, retailers should prepare well in advance for the unexpected, and provide real-time visibility on shipping packages and reliable delivery estimates.”

Overall, 70 percent of Americans consider shipping options to be an important factor in the shopping experience compared to 66 percent in 2013. Also, one-third (33 percent) of respondents said they plan to pay more attention to shipping this year compared to last year.

In addition, three in four Americans (77 percent) said that they track packages shipped to them vs. 68 percent in 2013. One-third (33 percent) track their packages once or twice. Another 21 percent track packages three to five times, and 23 percent track them six or more times.

When it comes to free shipping vs. fast shipping, 82 percent of Americans find free shipping where the product arrives in five to seven days more attractive, while 17 percent prefer fast shipping where the product arrives in one to two business days for a fee. On average, Americans who find fast shipping more attractive than free shipping would be willing to pay $8.50 for the package to arrive within two business days. Relatively few (19 percent) would be willing to pay more than $10 for fast shipping.