Parcel Motel, the round-the-clock delivery service for online shoppers has released research detailing the savings available to online shoppers when shopping on UK websites. The preference for shopping on UK websites was shown to be prevalent amongst online shoppers, with over 50% of Irish adults shopping regularly* online on UK websites.
The reasons behind these online spending habits included the savings available online and in the UK, as well as the selection of products available. Over two thirds of Irish adults surveyed didn’t think there was a large enough selection of products they wanted to buy on Irish websites, and over two thirds of Irish adults believe the UK offers the best prices when shopping online.
A common issue when ordering online from the UK, and living in Ireland, is a customer not having a delivery address based in the UK. Parcel Motel has solved this problem with their ‘UK delivery address’, allowing their customers access to these same online savings. This service allows Parcel Motel users to choose Nightline’s Belfast depot as their delivery point when buying from UK retailers. Their goods are then delivered to their local Parcel Motel terminal for the cost of a domestic delivery fee. This service allows shoppers to both avail of online shopping, otherwise unavailable to the Republic of Ireland, and to avoid hefty surcharges imposed on direct delivery to the Republic of Ireland from the UK.
The research also revealed the average savings made for some items commonly bought online such as clothing, accessories, jewellery and homewares. The findings were as follows:
- Raymond Weil Mens watch was shown to be nearly two thirds the price when bought online in the UK;
- A Kenwood-Premier Major kitchen mixer was shown to have an average saving of €30 when bought online in the UK;
- Children’s UGG boots were on average 20% less when bought online in the UK;
- Ray Ban aviators were priced on average €20 cheaper online in the UK;
- A Longchamp ‘Le Pliage’ handbag was on average 22% less when bought online in the UK.
Orla Sheils, General Manager at Nightline, said:
“It’s no surprise that Parcel Motel’s ‘UK delivery address’ has taken off. We’re finding more and more of our users are using it as a delivery address when they are looking to save as much as possible when shopping online. The best part about this service is that it gives our customers access to all the potential online savings they would not have had before with retailers that will not deliver to the Republic of Ireland.”
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About the Author: Conn Ó Muíneacháin
RT @blacknight: Irish Online Shoppers Use Parcel Motel to Overcome ‘UK-Only’ Delivery Restrictions: http://t.co/WGIlVytZjR
ParcelMotel is a great service (I’m a happy customer). Two things to watch out for, as a potential customer:
1) Some eBay (and 3rd-party Amazon resellers) shit multiple items separately, meaning you can incur two or three shipment charges from ParcelMotel. I stick to Amazon-fulfilled orders for that reason.
2) Returning items can be quite expensive. If you get a TV from the UK that needs to go back, you’re up close to €100 courier/insured delivery charge. So, factor in the risk of having to send it back. Bigger brand large items can often be fixed at some authorised repair centre in Ireland (€20-60 courier pickup/delivery), so it’s worth checking.
With the above in mind, ParcelMotel opens up a online market that was closed to Ireland for years, and it’s a great service. I ordered UK-only car parts of an eBay seller on a Friday lunchtime and it was in my local ParcelMotel late Saturday evening!
Irish Online Shoppers Use Parcel Motel to Overcome ‘UK-Only’ Delivery Restrictions http://t.co/3KUXIaNmzW via @blacknight
Great info Conn! Its clear we need to step up the Irish ecommerce footprint & expand product range for local consumers and match UK prices to keep the trade within Ireland (we’re actively developing sites in multiple niches to meet demand). The longer the issue prevails, the more Irish consumers will lose faith in Irish suppliers.