A new research by Australian fintech company Ship-Safely has revealed that nearly a third of Australian consumers have had a parcel stolen, lost or damaged in a 12-month period, including instances of doorstep parcel theft. The research also found that Australians spent up to $63.8 billion on online purchases in the same period.

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The research, conducted between May 2021 and April last year, revealed that $224.3 million worth of goods went missing or were damaged in the period. Adelaide was the worst affected city, followed by Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

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Darren Milne, co-founder of Ship-Safely, said: “With the explosion of online shopping, there has been a substantial increase in the number of parcels that are arriving either damaged or lost or stolen. It’s a low-effort crime and, therefore, a massive problem. People are even following the couriers, waiting for them to deliver the parcels and then stealing them immediately straight from the porch.”

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The research also found that 56 per cent of consumers blamed merchants for their delivery issues, while more than 40 per cent said they would pay for additional shipping protection to ensure peace of mind that their goods would arrive.

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In response to the ongoing parcel theft issues, Ship Safely has launched a shipping protection service that can be added to any approved merchant’s online checkout on platforms such as Shopify, Big Commerce, Woo-commerce and Magento.

Darren Milne, co-founder of Ship-Safely, said: “With the explosion of online shopping, there has been a substantial increase in the number of parcels that are arriving either damaged or lost or stolen. It’s a low-effort crime and, therefore, a massive problem. People are even following the couriers, waiting for them to deliver the parcels and then stealing them immediately straight from the porch.”

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Sources: https://internetretailing.com.au/missing-or-damaged-online-deliveries-cost-224-3-million-research-reveals/