By Alan Wolf, YSN
Takeaways:
- Higher fees reasonable for essential items
- Millennials more amenable to upcharges
- 10 percent’s the max for most
Turns out time is money when it comes to furniture delivery.
According to a poll by FurnitureToday, consumers are willing to pay more to get their orders quicker, but only to a point. The survey, conducted in January as part of the publication’s Strategic Insights series, showed that a 10-percent surcharge would be the max that most respondents would be willing to spend for faster delivery, although they consider a range of 1 percent to 5 percent more reasonable.
Only a handful of the 515 consumers polled said they’d pay a fee of 16 percent or more for expedited service.
Not surprisingly, the depth to which consumers are willing to dig into their wallets depends on the item(s) to be delivered, as well as the customer’s age and income. Large, essential items like sectionals, mattresses, or furniture for the bedroom or home office were cited most often as worth the extra cost. Smaller items like lamps, rugs, wall décor, accent tables and decorative accessories are the least to warrant a delivery surcharge, respondents said.
What’s more, millennials and Gen Zers were more inclined than their elders to ante up additional dollars for a timely sofa or mattress delivery, while those earning $200,000 a year and up were the most amenable to paying more to get their mattress faster.
Related: Stop Giving Away Money on Services
According to FurnitureToday research editor Joanne Friedrick, attitudes toward delivery upcharges have remained relatively unchanged since 2016, when a McKinsey study found that 53 percent of Americans were willing to pay extra for same-day service, and 15 percent passed on purchasing a large furniture or electronics item due to long delivery times.
Separately, the Strategic Insights survey also showed that men and millennials are more inclined to purchase a roomful of furniture as a package compared to their demographic counterparts.
Hat tip to FurnitureToday.
