The latest survey from Ampersand has shown that the option to receive items ordered online on the next day is the preferred delivery method for the majority of people nationwide.

Fifty two per cent of respondents to the study ranked next day delivery as their top option, easily outdoing the other common methods that are available in the e-commerce sector.

The second most popular delivery service is click and collect, earning 18 per cent of the vote. This shows that even as in-store collections are on the increase, home deliveries remain more desirable because of the added convenience they offer.

Just 12 per cent of those questioned said that they prefer to use same day delivery where available, although in many parts of the country this is not an option, with only those living in major cities able to access this type of service.

Interestingly, the report also found that the demand for next day delivery has actually risen slightly over the past three years, climbing by six per cent compared with a similar survey conducted back in 2014.

Problematically, the study revealed that retailers are not universally able to offer next day delivery to customers, in spite of the overwhelming popularity of this option. So hopefully, more organisations will realise that they will be able to win over more consumers if they can deliver items ordered via safe shopping online within 24 hours.

Distribution centres continue to pop up across the country and new methods of delivery are being trialled, with Amazon’s drone-based service the most innovative at the moment. This should make next day delivery available to everyone, presumably with lower fees associated with choosing this method than are currently enforced by the biggest firms on the market.