A study has found that over half of Australian consumers are comfortable with drone delivery for their goods and open to the use of other emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicle delivery.
The survey conducted by Soti, a global provider of mobile and IoT management solutions, found that the receptiveness of Australian consumers to drone delivery is well ahead of consumer sentiment across the globe.
Michael Dyson, Managing Director Australia and New Zealand, SOTI said the supply chain industry is one that is used to adapting and evolving to meet ever increasing consumer expectations.
“With the rise of online shopping, we’ve also seen an increase in demand from consumers for faster delivery; something that has been particularly highlighted by the restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak,” he said.
“With Australian consumers now familiar with, and open to, the idea of having the products they buy online delivered by drones, it is only a matter of time before local supply chains will face new pressures to transform and cater to this new delivery channel.”
According to SOTI’s State of Mobility Retail Report, 31 per cent of people were in favour of delivery drones and even countries that were a little more cautious in other areas of the survey, including the UK and Germany, which had 25 per cent of consumers comfortable with drone delivery.
The report also found that consumers globally are open to the use of other emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicle delivery, and US consumers said they would be comfortable with a delivery driver entering their home via a smart lock to leave purchases inside.
Michael said its vital that Australian retailers and logistics providers gain consumer trust and adoption of new supply chain technologies, such as drones, to ensure they are able to fully capitalize on this new opportunity.
“With consumer enthusiasm in Australia now high for drone delivery, the supply chain industry will need to evolve to include drones in the delivery matrix,” he said.
“Consumer expectations are higher than ever before, and when brand loyalty comes down to consumers easily ordering and receiving their purchases as quickly as possible, there is no room for error in the supply chain.”
Australian retailers and logistics providers can achieve smooth running of their supply chain technologies, including drones, if they have a trusted mobile and IoT management solution in place that helps ensure technologies work the way they’re meant to, with no downtime, while ensuring security and compliance.