A recent article from Econsultancy.com discussed how online retailers are starting to offer more flexible shipping options. Author Graham Charlton cited an E-commerce retail delivery report released by Snow Valley, which showed that 64% of e-tailers involved in the study now provide a variety of time-related delivery choices to customers. While this is a good start, the industry as a whole still has a long way to go in regards to delivery options. Snow Valley also reported that only 14.4% of e-tailers provided a choice to customers of a specific delivery date, and only 15% offered a specific time slot.

Offering a specific delivery date to customers is  becoming increasingly important to those who need to have orders delivered within specific time window (ie., prior to Christmas). It is widely held that increasing shipping options will help e-tailers reach a wider audience and can also be leveraged as a sales tool. Larger online retailers, are taking the lead, offering more advanced shipping options: 36% of e-tailers on the ‘Hitwise Hot 100′ list provide specific time slots, while 53% provide a Saturday delivery option. Furthermore, many companies now offer free shipping.

Perhaps one of the most telling findings of this report is that, of the companies surveyed in the report, 30.1% did not provide any shipping information until shoppers entered the checkout stage.

via econsultancy.com