• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, November 27, 2019

Marketers spend millions of dollars on search ads annually, appearing on Google, Bing, Apple and Amazon, in order to persuade consumers to buy online or in stores. Making the purchase is only half of the process. The other half is that the package arrives safely.

Shorr Packaging recently released its annual Package Theft Report, which contains statistics regarding package theft, video doorbells and holiday shopping behavior. 

The company surveyed 1,052 online shoppers to ask about their online purchase habits, package delivery tendencies, and feelings about security as these relate to receiving goods purchased online. All respondents, U.S. residents at least 18 years old, make purchases online. The survey was conducted between October 30 and 31, 2019.

Some 24% of shoppers surveyed report being victims of package theft -- down 7% from the 2017 Package Theft Report.

For those consumers living on the West Coast, the percentages are the highest in the nation. In fact, package theft by region on the West Coast was 22%. The Mid-Atlantic region came in second at 16%. New England and East South Central have the lowest crime rates, 4% each.

About 52% of all respondents believe that delivery companies are not doing enough to prevent package theft, while 54% of respondents who use package lockers believe they are doing enough to prevent package theft.

Some 41% of package theft victims purchased video doorbells, such as Amazon Ring or Google Nest to prevent package theft.

Still, 78% of package theft victims have changed their plans to ensure they were present to receive a package, even when they don't need a signature.

As online shopping ramps up the holiday weekend, more consumers are weighing their options and conducting risk-benefit analyses to determine how to keep their purchases safe.

Of all online shoppers surveyed, 62% said they would not pay extra to purchase package theft insurance, despite the potential risk of their packages being stolen.

Some 39% of Generation X said they purchased a video doorbell, followed by baby boomers at 29%, millennials at 26%, and Generation Y at 6%.