Peak Moving Season Creates Furniture Delivery Need for New Residents
Even though summer is made up the most sweltering months of the year, the season still sees peak moving activity for people relocating across town, state or country. In fact, 80% of all moves in the United States happen between April and September with June, July and August being the busiest months.
Why is Summer Peak Moving Season?
The increase in moves can be attributed to a few things. First of all, it’s easier for families with kids to move during summer. Rather than interrupting learning by changing schools, students can begin a new year in the fall. Similarly, moves are made to coincide with the beginning of the academic school year for colleges.
Depending on location, the winter months are tough for moving. With somewhat unpredictable ice and snow storms, it doesn’t make sense to risk the weather disrupting time-sensitive plans.
Finally, summer sees more moving activity because of housing-related reasons. In some cities, rental leases end and begin during the summer months. Also, springtime tends to be peak home-selling season in most areas of the country, which of course directly creates the need for home buyers to move as spring comes to an end.
Moving Leads to New Furniture Purchases
Regardless of the reason behind moving, most will agree that the entire process is a major hassle. From boxing up and loading possessions to moving big and bulky furniture, you won’t find many people who will say they actually enjoy moving.
Because of the frustrations experienced while moving, most people look for ways to cut down on the number of items they need to transport to their new homes. This is especially true for big and heavy items like furniture. It’s not only annoying trying to remember how you got that refrigerator through the back door when you bought it, but furniture takes up a large amount of space in moving trucks.
Rather than dealing with the problems of moving furniture, many people opt to sell it before they move and purchase new items once they settle in their new home. A report from Speedeon Data reveals that movers are three times more likely to buy furniture. The findings also show that movers are more likely to be in the market for furniture than non-movers.
This is great news for retailers, especially those who sell big and heavy items. Summer is clearly a major opportunity for furniture and appliance sales. However, those large items need a way to get to the customers’ homes, but the last thing buyers want to do right after moving is load up a truck and move again.
Meeting the Delivery Needs of New Residents
To meet the needs of this customer base, retailers must offer a same day and scheduled delivery solution. But if the goal is to convert these new shoppers into repeat customers, special attention must be paid to how the delivery experience is executed. 70% of consumers say that a poor delivery experience negatively impacts their impression of the retailer, regardless of who is making the delivery.
Retailers need to provide elevated delivery experiences from the store to the door. Though recent reports demonstrate that “one in three shoppers now expects same day delivery,” elevated service goes beyond speed. Ease of delivery scheduling, communication, order tracking and execution are just some of the areas that retailers must emphasize to elevate the customer experience.
It may help stores to think of delivery as an opportunity to extend their brand to the last mile. The easiest approach to a delivery brand extension strategy is a best-in-class last mile delivery partner who can provide the technology, customer support and delivery professionals needed to create those elevated experiences.
Pay careful attention when choosing a partner, though. Since modern consumers are more and more becoming “one strike and you’re out” shoppers, they have less patience when delivery experiences don’t meet their expectations.
PICKUP is one of the nation’s fastest growing enterprise-grade last mile delivery providers. We know what consumers are looking for in an elevated delivery experience. Thanks to our fully vetted delivery pros, we help partners extend their brand by delivering a broad assortment of big, heavy, and high value items directly to customers’ locations in over 90 service areas. PICKUP’s people and technology also help our partners transform their omni-channel delivery experiences with live support, real-time delivery information and the convenience of same day and scheduled delivery options
New customers are moving to your area this summer. Are you equipped to welcome them into the community with elevated delivery experiences? Let PICKUP help! Schedule a demo today.