Same-Day Delivery: Do Consumers Want It All and Want It Now?

Next-day delivery is so 2011. Who wants to wait five to seven business days to get that baby car seat or French press coffeemaker? Even two days can test one’s patience. You want it today. Retailers are beginning to accommodate consumers’ must-have-now sensibilities as same-day shipping competition heats up among big and small outfits. Walmart (WMT), eBay (EBAY) and even Google (GOOG) are experimenting with the service. Same-day delivery might be a saving grace for the urgent one-off purchase – last-minute Christmas gift, for instance – but in broader terms, will consumers pay extra for the convenience? A survey conducted by Boston Consulting Group last month suggests they won’t. BCG found that only 9% of the 1,500 U.S. consumers surveyed “cited same-day delivery as a top factor that would improve their online shopping experience, while 74% cited free delivery and 50% cited lower prices.”