Canadians Prefer Slower Shipping for Better Deals (Study)

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A recent survey by Omnisend, an ecommerce marketing automation platform, has uncovered a surprising trend among Canadian shoppers: a willingness to wait longer for deliveries in exchange for lower prices.

Patience Pays Off for Price-Conscious Consumers

The study found that 51.7% of Canadians are content with shipping times exceeding a week if it means scoring better deals. This preference for savings over speed is reshaping how retailers approach their shipping strategies, especially during high-traffic shopping periods like Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM).

Greg Zakowicz, senior ecommerce expert at Omnisend, notes, “Shoppers are conditioned to associate BFCM with great deals, not necessarily fast deliveries. Brands that overly emphasize next-day shipping may be missing an opportunity to attract discount-driven shoppers.”

The Long Wait: A Growing Trend

Remarkably, 78.6% of respondents are willing to wait more than three days for their parcels if it means lower prices. Even more striking, 29.3% said they could wait nine days or more – a timeframe that’s at least five times longer than Canada’s average parcel delivery time of 1.68 days.

“As consumers become more price-sensitive, the huge popularity of companies like Temu and Shein shows that many are willing to wait longer for deliveries if it means significant savings,” Zakowicz explains.

Strategic Shipping for BFCM Success

For retailers gearing up for the BFCM rush, Zakowicz offers several key recommendations:

  1. Prioritize transparent communication about delivery times
  2. Avoid overcommitting to speedy deliveries
  3. Offer tiered shipping options to cater to different customer preferences
  4. Use longer shipping times as a sales tool to highlight savings
  5. Monitor and adjust strategies based on customer behavior

These insights suggest that Canadians prefer slower shipping when it comes with cost benefits, challenging the notion that faster is always better in the world of ecommerce. This trend could shift again as the economy improves, and consumer preferences shift back to prioritizing shipping times.

Related Article: How Shopper Behaviour Is Changing In Canada In A Post-Inflation World

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