70% of Consumers in China are Comfortable with Drone Delivery

As drone technology advances, large multinationals are looking to drones to help with deliveries and cut operational costs. But are consumers ready for the future of drone delivery?

Shoppers in Asia Pacific are some of the most confident when it comes to the concept of receiving drone deliveries and making payments via autonomous technology, according to new research from Worldpay.

Worldpay’s research examined the viewpoints of over 20,102 consumers across 10 global markets, including China, Singapore and Australia in Asia Pacific. Consumers were asked about their opinions in relation to the Internet of Things (IoT), specifically, how comfortable they are with the concept of drones, and whether they would be happy to allow these machines to deliver parcels or collect returns. The research found that Asia Pacific shoppers are more comfortable than their global counterparts when it comes to drone delivery.

Key findings in Asia Pacific include:

· 70% of consumers in China and 52% in Singapore are comfortable with drone delivery;

· Australia is ahead of the curve globally although slightly more cautious than regional counterparts, with 43% of consumers comfortable with drone delivery; and

· 66% of Chinese consumers are comfortable with the notion of having a drone collect any unwanted items or returns, as compared to just 45% in the U.S. and 41% in the UK and Germany.

Phil Pomford, General Manager for Asia Pacific, Global Enterprise eCommerce at Worldpay, said, “Shoppers in Asia Pacific are once again eager to lead the way in trying out new shopping technology and experiencing the future of retail sooner. Online merchants are already trialing drones capable of delivering packages at lightning-speed, and as shoppers become more comfortable and confident with autonomous technology, we can expect to see many opportunities for connected devices to make consumers’ lives easier.”

The rapidly growing presence of online shopping has made Asia Pacific a busy and prosperous market for parcel delivery. However, a natural consequence of such rapid growth has been the rise of parcel fraud, leading to missing items or fake courier scams and ultimately threatening to damage to consumer confidence when it comes to bringing new technology into the shopping experience.

Pomford added: “This is where payment technology will play an important role. By verifying the identity of the recipient before releasing the parcel, our proof of concept is an example of how technology can address the common problems associated with home delivery. The volume of parcels in transit will only increase, as shopping online increasingly becomes the channel of choice for Asia Pacific consumers. Merchants should therefore explore new ways of innovating their supply chain capabilities, to keep pace with demand.”

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