THERE’S a wave of piracy hitting Australian homes that has got the population worried. According to parcel collection network Hubbed, some 58% of Australians worry about their parcels being stolen by ‘porch pirates’.
A further 41% believe they are not provided enough delivery options to ensure security. Their fears are well founded, with one in four Australians having been victims to ‘porch pirates’ in the last five years.
The findings come from an independent, nationally representative panel of 1010 Australian shoppers commissioned by Hubbed.
The younger the shopper, the more likely they are to worry over the security of their deliveries: 68% of 18-30 year olds fear their parcel will be stolen if delivered when they are not home, compared with 45% of over-50s.
The Hubbed survey indicated that fears of parcel theft are also impacting how and where Australians choose to have their parcels delivered if they are not at home.
Nearly half (45%) admitted they do not have a safe spot outside their home for parcel deliveries. To ensure the security of their items, one quarter (23%) of respondents said they request signature-on-delivery or re-delivery to the post office. A fifth (18%) choose to have some parcels delivered directly to their post office, while 15% would prefer to pick up parcels from a local collection point, such as a retail outlet, and 14% opt for delivery to their workplace.
Despite signature-on-delivery being cited as the most popular delivery choice to secure parcels, many courier services across Australia have had to remove the service this year due to social restrictions.
When asked if they would prefer for parcels to be delivered to a secure 24-hour location over their home, in the absence of signature-on-delivery options, 54% of Australians said yes. Three-quarters (75%) of younger shoppers aged 18-30 also said the same, compared with just 37% of over 50s.
CEO and founder of Hubbed David McLean said, “It is understandable that many Australians are concerned about the security of their parcels this year, given many have shifted their spending habits and turned to online shopping.
“It is interesting to see a significant portion of shoppers believe there are aren’t enough options available to them to ensure the safety of their parcels. With this in mind, retailers should consider offering multiple delivery choices such as collection points and Parcel lockers to alleviate fears around the security of deliveries.
“This is particularly important given ‘authority to leave’ became the default delivery method for many carriers this year amid social restrictions.”
