Postal strikes discourage online shopping

An IMRG survey of its retail members has revealed that 77% of them believe that strike action by Royal Mail may discourage consumers from shopping online in the run up to Christmas.

IMRG’s Director of Operations, David Smith said “E-commerce sales are set to top £50bn in 2009, even through the recession, but a strike of this nature has the potential to do significant harm to online retail sales. Up to now 86% of the retailers surveyed have used Royal Mail for at least some of their deliveries but this option is being taken from them and 60% have already made alternative arrangements to by-pass Royal Mail to protect their customers. For Royal Mail the impact of this industrial action is going to be disastrous".

The survey also found that 79% of those retailers offering alternative delivery arrangements would be absorbing any additional costs in an effort to minimise the impact on their customers, whilst 67% were taking steps to fully inform their online shoppers of potential delays on their websites at the time of order.

Worryingly 61% of the retailers were already receiving specific enquiries from concerned consumers about delivery arrangements in relation to the strike action. This number will only increase as the strike takes hold.