‘Porch Pirates Beware!’ Report
Canary’s Porch Pirates Beware! Report exposes heightened concerns this holiday season around the growing issue of package thefts as more and more people shop online. The data shows that porch pirates hold incredible potential to ruin the 2019 holiday season as the thefts interfere with a core tradition at the heart of year-end celebrations–gift giving.
Americans want to preserve the tradition of showing love and appreciation for one another with hand selected gifts yet concerns are surging, and they want organizations at every level to prioritize initiatives that keep packages safe. To combat piracy consumers are even willing to take matters into their own hands in some surprising ways. We found that almost 1 in 5 (19%) would leave a trap, like a dummy package, in front of their home to capture a porch pirate in the act. Others prefer to stick with a more practical security system.
At Canary we’re passionate about giving the gift of peace of mind and this extends to protecting not only our loved ones and homes, but our core holiday traditions – so this holiday season, let the porch pirate beware!
Americans are incredibly concerned about porch pirate thefts this holiday season. Not only do the thefts damper jolly spirits, they also lose consumers money, add hassle, and potentially prevent us from giving our hand-selected gifts to friends and family during the holidays on-time.
18%
Nearly 1 in 5 Americans were a victim, or know someone who was a victim, of porch pirate thefts during the 2018 holiday season
49%
Nearly 1 in 2 are concerned they will be victims of porch pirate thefts this holiday season
47%
Nearly 1 in 2 Americans believe these thefts ruin the holiday season
35%
35% of Americans go as far as saying it’s an unreasonably cruel crime
The holidays are stressful enough, yet Americans would inconvenience themselves by taking the following actions to prevent potential porch pirate thefts:
More than 1 in 5 (22%) would work from home on days they were expecting a package
Nearly one third of Americans (32%) would significantly limit their online shopping if there were porch pirate thefts in their neighborhood
Over a quarter (27%) would shop in-store on busy holiday shopping days like Black Friday
Nearly 4 in 10 (38%) would opt for a less convenient delivery option that means they have to receive the package outside of their home (e.g. delivery to their workplace, pick up at the post office, signing up for a PO box, etc.)
Almost 1 in 5 (19%) would leave a trap, like a dummy package, in front of their home to catch a porch pirate in the act
To remedy these inconveniences, Americans are taking security into their own hands by installing both DIY and professional systems:
19%
Nearly 1 in 5 would rather wait in a 1-hour long checkout line to make holiday purchases
16%
Nearly 1 in 6 would rather have their flight delayed by 1 hour or more while traveling
16%
Nearly 1 in 6 would rather have the children/young adults in their family find their presents before the holiday and ruin the surprise
12%
More than 1 in 10 would rather get coal for Christmas
10%
1 in 10 would rather spend the holidays with their in-laws or a significant other’s family who they don’t get along with
Methodology
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,238 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 24th – 25th October 2019. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).