Do E-Commerce Delivery Services Meet Consumer Expectations?
Consumer shopping habits have changed significantly in recent years, with more consumers than ever turning to e-commerce.
This creates new expectations for carrier services. Speed and precision are the main priorities for consumers buying online.
To assess the current landscape, Avery Dennison has gathered the thoughts 5,000 consumers across the UK, US, France and Germany to examine consumer trends and demands.
Consumer shifts
Avery Dennison is a global manufacturing and solutions company, with locations in more than 50 countries worldwide. It creates solutions to optimise labour and supply chain efficiency, advance transparency and better connect brands to their consumers.
Its latest research shows that consumers have higher expectations of delivery now than ever before. They expect flexible delivery options, accurate delivery times and the opportunity for real-time parcel tracking.
This is creating a pressurised system for parcel carriers, who are trying to meet rising expectations at the same time as reducing costs.
“The message from consumers is loud and clear: they expect precision and control over their deliveries,” says Julie Vargas, Vice President and General Manager of Identification Solutions at Avery Dennison. "Customers may tolerate delays – but only if they're kept in the loop.
"Real-time visibility shouldn’t be considered a luxury anymore; it's the price of staying competitive. Retailers and carriers who embrace transparency will not only ease frustrations around shipping delays and rising costs, they'll earn lasting customer trust in a tough logistics climate."
Consumer expectations
What was once exceptional service is now standard for parcel delivery, so consumers are more demanding about the quality they experience.
Many say they are willing to pay more for better service, indicating room for innovation. Priorities for e-commerce delivery vary by region, age and context, but expectations for tracking are generally higher for fragile, high-value or bulky items.
Statistically, shoppers in the 16 to 24 age category are more likely to pay a premium for parcel tracking than consumers aged 61 to 70. When asked, only 5.4% of 16 to 24-year-olds said there would be no scenario where they would pay a premium, whereas 38.9% of 61 to 70-year-olds said they would not pay.
- 61% online shoppers are willing to pay more for a delivery experience which fits their specific need
- 31% US consumers stop doing business with a brand after one bad experience
- 28% consumers say damaged packages are the biggest bugbear in eCommerce delivery
- 27% UK shoppers and 20% German shoppers place tracking issues as a major issue for eCommerce confidence
- 54% consumers say tracking allows them to go about their day without stressing about missing a delivery
Barriers to efficiency
Pitney Bowes projects global parcel volumes will surpass 500 billion by 2028. This surge is driving demand for solutions that meet rising consumer expectations.
Leading carriers and retailers are investing in real-time visibility and automation to increase efficiency.
However, every delivery passes through multiple logistics steps, creating many potential points of failure that can disrupt a seamless experience:
Order fulfilment: Delays in confirming or dispatching an order make customers doubt on-time delivery. Causes include phantom inventory, picking errors and warehouse labour bottlenecks. RFID-triggered picking verification and instant order confirmation can reduce these risks.
First mile: Retailers often mark an order as ‘shipped’ when the label is printed, before the carrier has collected the parcel. Any lag in carrier pick-up creates a custody gap that can undermine trust.
Sorting centres: These are frequent blind spots. Many are not automated, so high parcel volumes, poor labelling and outdated technology increase the risk of human error and delays.
Last mile: When couriers don’t provide an estimated time of arrival (ETA), consumers get anxious. Missed driver hand-offs or routing errors can derail the final stage. Real-time ETA updates let consumers plan their day and be home to receive the parcel.
Delivery: Around 20% of parcels fail on the first attempt, often due to hard-to-find addresses, missing access notes or deliveries wrongly marked as complete. Photo proof, live updates and flexible redelivery options help ensure successful hand-off.
Returns: Returns are a neglected but vital stage. Confusing instructions, missing labels or slow refunds create anxiety and erode trust. As Avery Dennison advises, brands should "treat returns like outbound deliveries, with full tracking and real-time status".
By investing in innovation across the supply chain, implementing automation and removing bottlenecks, carriers and brands can increase efficiency and visibility to build trust and improve consumer satisfaction.
