Solely 28 p.c of the 100 largest on-line shops in Belgium and the Netherlands supply customer support within the night. And solely 44 p.c use WhatsApp as a customer support channel, although the app could be very fashionable amongst customers. Consequently, on-line shops are lacking out on conversions.
That is in response to a joint research by Returnless, Salesupply and Sendcloud. Throughout Black Friday 2025, these firms carried out a stress check by shopping for one thing from the 100 largest on-line shops within the Netherlands and Belgium. In a report, they analyze the complete post-purchase course of.
91% delivered on time
At least 91 p.c of the net shops within the check was in a position to ship throughout the promised supply time, even within the busiest interval of the yr. Greater than half (58 p.c) had been of orders had been delivered inside at some point. And 27 p.c had been delivered inside two days.
Greater than half of on-line shops delivered inside at some point
Communication could possibly be improved
The research exhibits that on-line shops nonetheless have room for enchancment in different areas. This has a damaging affect on the shopper expertise. A extra constructive buyer expertise can encourage prospects to return for a second order. Due to that, on-line shops are lacking out on potential income.
For instance, there’s not sufficient communication about refunds throughout the return course of (by 36 p.c of on-line shops). This leads to extra buyer questions and further prices for the net retailer. On-line shops additionally don’t supply sufficient choices for returns: 88 p.c solely supply refunds. Exchanges are solely potential at 6 p.c of shops, and retailer credit score or coupons can be found at 4 p.c.
Night availability can improve conversion charges
On-line shops can even enhance within the space of customer support. Most prospects store within the night, however solely 28 p.c of on-line shops can be found within the night. In line with the report, on-line shops may enhance their conversion charges by having customer support out there within the night.
And whereas WhatsApp is among the most generally used communication channels for customers, solely 44 p.c of on-line retailers use it as a channel. Utilizing WhatsApp may make customer support extra accessible.
Ecommerce isn’t just about on-time supply
“In ecommerce, it’s now not nearly worth, product, and on-time supply. The shopper expertise is turning into more and more necessary, particularly with a purpose to compete with the Asian giants which can be gaining increasingly floor within the European market”, mentioned the researchers.
‘Buyer expertise largely is dependent upon the post-purchase part’
“This expertise largely is dependent upon the post-purchase part. On this part, a web-based shops could make a distinction in the case of assembly expectations, resolving frustrations, and facilitating returns. It’s exactly the mix of restricted supply choices, complicated return processes, and inaccessible customer support which means retailers are nonetheless lacking out on alternatives right here.”
