With the onset of online retail shopping has emerged a problem that grows larger by the day: package theft. While going to your local mall and doing personal shopping means never leaving your purchases out of your sight, having items shipped to your home while you’re away leaves them unprotected and ripe for the taking. This issue becomes worse during the holiday season, of course, but it can be a year-round struggle, with over 23 million customers affected by packages carried off right at their doorstep. Here are some recent data numbers collected by a survey of over 1,000 people that give more insight into this growing problem, and how customers react to the situation.
- 31% of those surveyed claim they’ve experienced package theft, though 47% still say they purchase from online stores, assuming that discreet packaging will keep their items secure while they’re away.
- While packages continue to be easily delivered to doorsteps, over 92% of surveyed respondents admit they send their items directly to their home. Only 5% address their packages to their workplaces, while 35% have occasionally sent them to other, more secure, locations to help prevent theft.
One of the more surprising insights is that many customers (61%) are quicker to blame the online retailer for their package mishaps, as opposed to the shipping companies themselves. Consumers tend to believe that the location of the dropped-off box and the branding of the packages are leading factors behind boxes becoming more vulnerable to thieves, though 23% of online consumers admit they’re not sure as to how online retailers can go about doing more to protect their items from theft.
