A survey conducted by MetaPack has investigated the state of play in the delivery market at the moment, questioning consumers about the kinds of services they value when shopping online.

The report concluded that the availability of free shipping was the main perk that people look out for, with 62 per cent of respondents citing it as an important asset in the e-commerce realm.

Just under half said that they anticipated the availability of free delivery to be included as standard in most cases when placing an order, implying that retailers which fail to meet this minimum expectation could lose out to more appealing rivals.

Of course, there is also an opportunity for online outlets to increase sales by offering free shipping with a value requirement that customers are responsible for fulfilling. The study found that 75 per cent of people have added extra items to their basket simply to activate the free shipping option, which backs up this concept.

In terms of the delivery solutions that consumers are willing to pay a premium to access, 70 per cent said that options like same-day shipping and weekend distribution schedules would fall into this category.

Click and collect reared its head once more in this report, with 44 per cent admitting to appreciating the convenience of being able to pick up products ordered online from a nearby location as opposed to having to wait around at home for a delivery.

Another important factor identified was that consumers are increasingly worried about the environmental impact of their online shopping, with more looking to address this by grouping ordered goods together so that they arrive in one go. This may mean that delivery times are extended, but it seems to be a price that a small but significant minority are willing to pay.