In e-commerce, the delivery experience matters. A lot. According to new Inside Retail research, shoppers really do judge brands by the quality of their deliveries. The question is, what do they want at each stage of the delivery journey?

From the moment a shopper hits your checkout to the moment your package lands safely in their hands, they are judging you. 

First, they assess the security and simplicity of your shipping page. Then, they weigh up whether you offer the best options for delivery. They evaluate how easy it is to track their parcel. And, ultimately, they give you a mental ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ depending on whether their parcel arrives on time and undamaged or not. 

All these observations add up to one thing: the delivery experience. Get it right and you’re on your way to securing long-term loyalty and a competitive advantage. Get it wrong and you could get left behind.

To find out what ‘right’ looks like in today’s competitive e-commerce landscape, we asked over 750 online shoppers to tell us what they really want from the delivery experience. The results of the survey – which we conducted together with Inside Retail – are now available in a new research report.

Nailing each stage of the delivery journey

The research identifies a close link between the delivery experience and customer retention. And, to help retailers prioritise areas for improvement, it breaks down the delivery experience into five key stages: completing the purchase, organising the delivery, tracking delivery progress, receiving the package, and the post-delivery experience.

Shoppers have identified 26 areas as ‘very’ or ‘critically important’ across these five stages.

For instance, when they’re at the checkout, shoppers want easy-to-understand delivery options and the reassurance that your e-commerce site will keep their personal details safe. 

And when it comes to receiving a package, they want to get their purchase safely and in one piece. While that isn’t unexpected, it’s also business critical: a staggering 91 per cent of shoppers will abandon you entirely if their package is damaged.

Your delivery partner should be able to provide proof of delivery and offer secure and reliable delivery options that both you and your customers trust.

Across every stage, transparency and choice are key

Delayed deliveries are a major pain point for online shoppers. In fact, one-third of them will abandon your brand if their parcel doesn’t arrive on time. Building transparency into the delivery experience can help alleviate this risk.

An easy way to do this is by partnering with a delivery provider that has robust tracking capabilities. For example, using Team Global Express e-Care’s MyTeamGE portal, shoppers can easily track their parcels and control notifications around its imminent arrival.

To win over more shoppers, the research suggests you should also offer a choice of delivery options. This could include convenient drop-off locations, instructions for leaving parcels behind, more delivery speeds, or even support for handling bulky items. It all adds up. 

And it responds to what your customers want. The research reveals that more than half (57 per cent) of shoppers want to be able to specify a safe place for unattended deliveries, and 46 per cent think it’s important that retailers offer options for the speed of delivery.

Delivering progress for e-commerce retailers

The shoppers have spoken, and it’s clear that e-commerce retailers should think carefully about what they need from a delivery partner.

Team Global Express e-Care delivers the experience that more shoppers and shippers are looking for by bringing greater confidence, choice and control to the entire journey.  

This direct-to-customer shipping solution responds to the pain points and concerns raised in the research, helping e-commerce brands realise progress in a competitive retail landscape. 

• Visit Team Global Express e-Care to download the full report, including breakdowns of what each generation wants from their delivery experience, plus tips and insights about how to enhance every stage of the journey.