Survey: Slower Delivery Times Decline as 2-3 Day Shipping Becomes the Norm for Retailers and Consumers

In its fourth annual survey, Shippo looks at how shipping policies have changed in recent years and whether retailers are meeting, not meeting, or exceeding consumers’ delivery expectations. The report offers opportunities for e-commerce businesses to better understand and address the fulfillment needs of their consumers.

Once commonplace in e-commerce, slower delivery times are now increasingly obsolete. Amazon is the likely culprit, shifting consumer expectations as it speeds up its delivery options, and most recently announcing its expansion of one-day delivery with Amazon Prime.

In 2017, for example, 44 percent of retailers said that their customers select 4-7 day delivery. Today, that number has dropped to 22 percent of consumers.

This year, the most popular delivery time is 2-3 days, with 54 percent of consumers and 50 percent of businesses preferring it.

A notable difference between e-commerce offerings and consumer expectations is enthusiasm for same or next-day delivery. While 17 percent of consumers say they want same or next-day delivery, less than one percent of retailers think it’s important to their customers.