For those selling oversized items online, there’s a tremendous opportunity ahead.
Furniture and home furnishings are one of the fastest growing segments of online e-retail due in large part to American’s comfort with buying oversized items online.
To further explore this trend, uShip recently produced a report – Realities in Oversized E-Commerce Delivery in the Amazon Era – that looks at the experiences of consumers who have made an oversized online purchase in the last 12 months (as of June 2017).
The study sheds light on consumer frustrations and mindset when buying large items online, as well as ways retailers can proactively begin to address these pain points.
Shipping Oversized Item Stats
In fact, 22 percent of online buyers have made an oversized purchase, while 34 percent are more likely to buy big, bulky items online today than they were just five years ago.
Despite the golden opportunity, logistics and shipping of oversized items remains a black hole for most online sellers. Transporting a 250-lb couch cross country is far more involved than packaging a pair of chinos. The report found that customer frustration primarily stems from a poor delivery experience that upends their daily routine, especially when receiving oversized items.
We encourage you to download our free full report, which also examines:
- Buyer pain points, including damaged and lost item percentages during shipping
- Buyer concerns while shopping online for oversized items
- Buyer desires when online sellers that can improve the experience
Methodology for Shipping Oversized Items Stats
uShip commissioned YouGov PLC — a third party, professional research and consulting organization — to poll the views of 1,070 adults, of which 228 have purchased an oversized item online in the past year. Fieldwork was undertaken between June 21-22, 2018. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).
