Anticipated delivery delays and returns are causing nearly 60 percent of consumers not to shop online this festive season, according to a new survey. FarEye, a logistics and supply chain management company, in its Festive Season Consumer Shopping Survey 2022 revealed current shopping habits and festive season purchase plans of consumers and explored their last-mile delivery pain points.

"India’s festive season peaks ahead of Diwali in late October and runs through December and this is when retailers see an uptick in online sales, projected around 28 percent higher than last year according to industry experts," the company said in a statement. FarEye, that surveyed a thousand respondent in India, found that while 41 percent of those surveyed plan to shop from e-commerce retailers during the festive season, nearly 60 percent do not, due to delivery delays and returns frustrations. Of those surveyed, about 63 percent are abandoning shopping carts due to poor delivery terms and 54 percent are expecting delivery delays during the festive season.

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The survey further revealed that while e-commerce deliveries are typically higher during the festive season, so are returns. Key returns findings include:

More than 50 percent of consumers reported making online returns during last year’s festive season

87 percent consider easy and/or free online returns policies important when making a purchase during the upcoming festive season

Free online returns, fast refund/credit, and home returns pickup were the top three reasons for a positive returns experience

This year also saw a lot of mishaps on e-commerce platforms, especially with the quality of product delivery. Hashtags like #FlipkartScam and #FlipkartDoglaHai (Flipkart is two-faced) were trending on Twitter alongside with #FlipkartBigBillionDays.

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Several users shared their grievances on the micro-blogging site. A user Ravi Shankar complained that his order kept getting delayed and he is unable to conceal the order as well.

Ordered on 24th Sep, twice the status was "out for delivery" and changed to "not reached hub". I want to cancel the order. @flipkartsupport just telling same answer they are working to provide resolution. There is no option to cancel the order as well. My money is stuck. pic.twitter.com/0IKA0N2Ud9

— Ravishankar (@ravi_ds) October 6, 2022

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Another user Inder Jeet tweeted that his order was cancelled from Flipkart’s end for no specific reason and this is not the first time this has happened.

@flipkartsupport last time also u canceled the ordr w/t any answer.agan i ordrd the same product,u said this will not happen again but again I am feeling the same thing.The prdct is at my nearest hub from last 2 days but ur delivery partnr didnt atempted for dlvry #flipkartscam pic.twitter.com/gAC6xpVjsV

— inder jeet (@inderje4553356) October 18, 2022

Others have also complained about receiving either damaged or entirely different products.

When CNBC-TV18 reached out to Flipkart for a comment, the e-commerce company said that they investigate each case and take appropriate action, which may include a refund or exchange based on the terms of the purchase.

"In instances where there is a concern about quality or wrongly delivered items, we also take action against any errant party. We are mindful that customers may be disappointed due to cancellations by sellers due to the high demand for products that may go out of stock. On rare occasions, some accounts may be blocked to safeguard and protect the larger interests of all customers."

“While we have observed comments on social media platforms, we are focusing our efforts on providing genuine customers with a resolution to problems that they may be facing.”

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