36% of American have reported having a package stolen within the last year according to a recent 2019 package theft statistics report from C+R Research. That number is sure to rise with the holiday shopping season in full swing. C+R research surveyed 2,000 American consumers that do their shopping online to learn more about their experiences with package theft as well as the steps they are taking to prevent future package theft. Let’s take some time to dive into the full report. Listed below are the main sections of the report:
1. Frequency of package deliveries
2. Package theft and e-commerce spending statistics
3. Actions taken after a package was stolen
4. Additions made to prevent future package theft *among package theft victims
5. Holiday shopping and package theft
6. Precautions consumers are taking for holiday shopping season package deliveries
Frequency of package deliveries
The first section of the package theft statistics report looked at the frequency of package deliveries for American consumers. C+R researched asked how often American consumers got packages delivered to their home. 44% of respondents said they had a package delivered at least one per week. Another 45% of respondents said they had a package delivered at least once per month. Only 5% said they had a package delivered daily, another 5% said they had a package delivered at least once per year. Only 1% said they rarely/never had a packaged delivered. This data shows that almost 90% of American consumers are having a package delivered somewhere between once a week and once a month.
The survey found that the average American consumer had 45 packages delivered per year. This number went slightly up with Amazon Prime members who said they had 51 packages delivered per year on average. Non-prime members reported only 25 package deliveries per year. The report also found that the average E-commerce spending per month was $222 for American consumers.
Package theft and e-commerce spending statistics
The package theft report from C+R research found that 36% of American consumers reported having a package stolen within the last year. This number is up from 31% from a similar package theft report from Shorr Packaging in 2017. 56% of consumers said they personally know someone who has had a package stolen within the last year. Almost a third of American consumers said their neighbor has also had a package stolen. This data shows that package theft is happening in many communities across the country.
Most consumers report having a package stolen only once (56%). Only 22% of American consumers have had a package stolen more than once. This number drops to 9% with people reporting that they’ve had 5 or more packages stolen! The report from C+R research found that it costs on average $119 to replace a package that has been stolen. This show’s the cost is being passed on to both business owners and consumers.
Actions taken after a package was stolen
The heart of this report looked at the action’s consumers are taking after a package has been stolen from them. The first action a majority of consumers take after package theft is to reach out to either the seller or Amazon directly to file a claim and try to get a refund. That is usually followed by the consumer reaching out to the delivery service they used to try and locate the package. After that most consumers reach out to their neighbors to see if they’ve seen the package or were around when it was stolen. The next step is to contact the police or check with their security camera.
Additions made to prevent future package theft
The data below looks at the addition’s consumers are making to prevent future package theft. This data is only from the 36% of consumers who have actually had a package stolen. 44% of consumers say they felt most comfortable installing some sort of security camera after a package theft incident. Very few consumers are actually buying an Amazon Smart Key. Others opt for fencing, motion lights and a guard dog to deter porch pirates.
Holiday shopping and package theft
The package theft statistics report from C+R Research found that 31% of consumers reported having a package stolen during the holiday shopping season last year and that almost half of consumers are concerned that they will have a package stolen this holiday season. Many consumers are actually avoiding buying expensive items because of package theft.
C+R research offered some advice for preventing package theft this year. The most important thing consumers can do to prevent package theft is to either stay home for delivery or schedule a delivery for a time when you will actually be home. Some consumers are choosing to shop in stores this season instead of shopping online. Consumers can also take advantage of stores that allow you to order online, but to pick up in store. Sending packages to work is also becoming a popular option for consumers who are concerned about package theft.
To see the full package theft report from C+R research, check out the link in the second paragraph of this report.
infographic by: C + R RESEARCH
