The rise of the impatient customer – and how to win them over

However, Lloyd-Wallis warns that not all shoppers expect ultra-fast delivery. “Delve into who your customers are and understand what is vital to them. For a retailer to go out and try and do everything at once, they may come unstuck.”

According to new research by Australia Post, the customers most likely to expect speedy delivery are those purchasing health and wellness products, electronics and fashion. Millennials and Gen Z have the highest expectations around fast delivery, with one in two wanting delivery within three days.

Next steps: Considering offering fast delivery? Many retailers partner with Uber or local couriers to offer express delivery. Others leverage 3PL services or establish micro-fulfilment centres or dark stores.  

3 Introduce subscriptions

One in five Australians now has a subscription, according to Retail Doctor Group data, and, globally, the subscription economy is predicted to be worth $1.5 trillion later this year. 

According to Lloyd-Wallis, the popularity of subscriptions exploded during the Covid-19 lockdowns – and many consumers are now converted. “Like many people, during the pandemic I took out a subscription for toilet paper, whereas now, I get a wide range of everyday items delivered – from protein shakes to razor blades, because I don't want to spend time thinking about it,” says Lloyd-Wallis.

For consumers, subscriptions save time. For retailers, the benefits include ongoing customer loyalty and revenue, and fewer acquisition costs. Plus, the recurring revenue allows you to more accurately plan ahead, rather than relying on estimates or projections. 

Next steps: Thinking about introducing subscriptions? Most subscriptions are based around curation (where you surprise your customer with an edit of products) or replenishment (where you supply customers with refills or recurring orders of household basics, such as toilet paper or pet food, or services). To get started, first check whether your e-commerce platform allows you to offer a subscription option.

4 Ramp up in-store efficiencies 

Click-and-collect services are becoming increasingly popular, with 15 per cent of Australian consumers saying they use them more than they did 12 months ago because it saves them time, according to Retail Doctor data. 

To aid efficiency, Lloyd Wallis recommends creating a dedicated area or aisle for customers to pick up their products. “Customers don't want to have to walk down to the back of the store to get their items, nor do they want to form a queue.”

That doesn’t just apply to retailers; in the US, Taco Bell now offers a specific drive-through lane for customers who have ordered in advance, for example.

Other ways to save time for in-store shoppers include introducing self-checkout, mobile self-checkout, scan-and-go-technology or equipping staff with tablets for fast service or product look-up. At Officeworks, for example, staff have mobile tablets to help customers find products and to help shoppers check out without queueing during peak periods.

Next steps: To introduce click and collect, you’ll need software or a point-of-sale system that enables it. Similarly, offering mobile checkout requires new hardware, as well software.

5 Make communication instant and clear

Impatient consumers expect to be kept in the loop, Whether it’s tracking a delivery or asking about a return, they want fast, accurate responses - ideally in real time.

Many retailers are increasingly turning to conversational AI chatbots to answer straightforward queries or opting for SMS or push notifications for delivery updates. 

Others, especially fashion brands, are embracing self-service returns solutions or third-party fintech platforms to handle returns. These platforms, including Refundid and ReturnGo, offer customers the opportunity to instantly return items and receive their refund, rather than waiting for retailers to approve requests and receive products first.

Next steps: Investigate tech solutions to keep customers in the loop, whether that’s AI chatbots, fintech platforms or tracking options offered by your shipping carrier. 

Remember: there isn’t always a need for speed

It’s important to realise that not every purchasing experience lends itself to ruthless efficiency, and in fact some retail moments are meant to be savoured. Take the KitKat Chocolatory store in Sydney and Melbourne, where customers can design their own eight-finger KitKat out of 30,000 possible combinations. 

“Those customers are willing to spend time walking around the store – and even queue - because it was fun, exciting and something different,” says Lloyd-Wallis.

That’s why it’s vital that before retailers implement costly innovations aimed at improving efficiency, they first consider their customers’ needs. That way, they’ll create a shopping experience that customers will remember for the right reasons.