As the holiday season mood is gaining momentum, it is natural that customers are more actively browsing online shops and looking for special Christmas gifts. As everyone is busy working or running errands, so often the courier delivering the new purchase finds no one at home.
In recent years, as many as 66% of shoppers opted for door-to-door delivery services. Meanwhile according to CBC, as a result of the non-traditional holidays this year, 51% of the respondents said they would spend Christmas at home, avoiding large gatherings and ordering gifts to be delivered to homes of relatives or friends.
If you have already taken a decision to protect your family members and your health by limiting the visits to shops, it is useful to know how to avoid situations where the courier finds no one in attendance just when a gift or a purchase is expected to arrive.
“A door-to-door delivery service is one of the most convenient options for online shoppers, but sometimes there is a problem that we don’t know the exact time of delivery and whether we will be at home at that time. Co-operation with the courier can help solve the problem and prevent additional stress when we get a call about the package arriving while no one is in attendance. For this reason, before ordering something online we advise you to think where you spend most of your time during the day and have in mind the upcoming holiday fever.”
Justas Šablinskas, General Manager of Venipak
Here is some simple advice on how to avoid missing deliveries, to ensure safe and simple collection of your parcel, and to avoid an unexpected call informing you about the delivery while you are possibly busy with something else.
Think where you spend more time: at home or at work?
According to the European Commission, one in seven Europeans shop online. The data for Lithuania show that over the past years 48% of Lithuanians shop online.
However, when we finally find a long sought-after product or perhaps purchase a product spontaneously we may not consider every for and against before placing an order, so we must think in advance where we are going to be in the coming days.
According to the General Manager of Venipak, when a courier notifies a customer about the delivery, he sometimes gets a reply about the change of address – the customer is at work instead of home and therefore cannot collect the parcel. In such case, the courier is willing to seek a suitable solution.
“Our customers who choose delivery home receive an SMS in the evening before the delivery notifying about the time of delivery. Those who do not plan to be at home at the specified time get an instant proposal for another delivery option – delivery to the nearest pick-up point or a parcel terminal (locker). If no option is selected, the parcel is delivered to the customer’s home at the specified time. If no one is in attendance at the time of delivery, another appropriate delivery time is agreed with the customer.”
It’s difficult to find you in the day: choose delivery in the evening or on Saturdays
According to the survey conducted by McKinsey & Company, 30% of customers prefer more expensive same-day or next-day deliveries. This usually depends on the working schedule, which does not allow customer to collect a parcel at home.
Although the rest 70% of the customers prefer less expensive delivery or free delivery, they should follow updates from delivery companies which offer additional exemptions or even free deliveries before the holidays.
Venipak will also offer more delivery options during the Christmas season. If you select delivery by Venipak in the e-shops of our partners, you will get delivery with no extra charge in the evenings (18.00-22.00) and on Saturdays. These conditions may also apply where the courier fails to deliver the parcel during regular working hours.
Trust the courier: during the pandemic, the courier will protect both your and his own health
The global pandemic has frightened many: currently one in three Lithuanians are changing their shopping habits, restricting their visits to shops and are more actively shopping online. As a result, couriers observe all safety rules in order to protect people against the virus.
“During the first lockdown, the number of deliveries doubled in just one month and is still on the rise. Therefore, in view of the daily need of customers to get parcels delivered to their homes, we take care of all safety measures: we offer contactless deliveries using a PIN, all couriers wear masks and gloves and regularly disinfect their work tools. For those trying to avoid additional contact with the courier we will soon offer contactless parcel terminals.”
Justas Šablinskas, General Manager of Venipak
Final note
A door-to-door delivery service should deliver not only a purchased item, but also joy. We therefore hope that this advice will help you not to miss the courier and ensure safe and simple delivery of your parcel.
Above all, we must not forget that irrespective of what surprises the season brings, our understanding that we are making the right decision in protecting ourselves and our loved ones matters more than new purchases or gifts.