Customer expectations are rising fast. And as consumers ourselves, we know the feeling when they aren’t met. You’ve probably been there: you place an order for something you suddenly need urgently, and what you get is a vague email, no tracking updates, and no idea where your parcel is.
That frustration is becoming more common as our shopping habits evolve. We’re no longer just ordering gifts or luxury items. We are relying on eCommerce for routine products, and we are expecting them to arrive quickly, reliably, and with full visibility along the way.
Expectations have changed. A true story from a true frustrated customer
A decade ago, a good delivery experience meant getting the parcel on time. Today, it’s all about choice, transparency, and control.
Take this real example from a frustrated customer on Reddit, who shared the below screenshot of correspondence they received from a retailer when their package was delayed. Needless to say, it left a lot to be desired:
Transcript of above image:
Hope you are doing well.
Thank you for your email.
Please accept my apology regarding the delay with your shipment.
Your shipment was forwarded to our third-party delivery service partner for delivery.
They are going to be delivering this to you soon.
Please note that due to work disruption, we are experiencing delivery delays.
Our operations team is working to get your shipment processed as soon as possible.
We truly appreciate your patience during this time.
After waiting weeks for a delivery and receiving no meaningful tracking updates, the customer shared their frustration with a now-familiar story: the parcel was supposedly passed to a third-party carrier, but there was no update, no name, no contact, and no resolution.
We feel the customer’s pain. But we also feel the brand’s. In many cases, the retailer did everything right, but the poor experience in the last mile left a lasting negative impression.
This is what eCommerce logistics in 2025 looks like. A customer’s urgency isn’t always about the item’s value. It’s about context. What was once a non-essential item can quickly become mission-critical in a customer’s daily routine. And when that shift happens, expectations soar, while patience disappears.
According to recent research:
70% expect free shipping
60% prioritise speed
56% want live tracking
51% expect free returns
It’s not the delays themselves that cause frustration, it’s the lack of transparency and control.
The experience breaks not in the delivery, but in the last mile.
What 200M+ shipments reveal about retail trends
Delivery is no longer one-size-fits-all. The latest report from Scurri Unpacked analysed over 200 million shipments to uncover how different industries are adapting. The results reveal a dynamic shift in last mile logistics strategies:
Fashion: Next-Day delivery surged by 30% YoY — speed is critical in trend-driven, time-sensitive categories.
Homewares: Standard delivery rose 37% — cost-efficiency and convenience win in slower-moving categories.
Pet & Animal: Weekend and Signature delivery jumped 30%+ — reliability and timing matter when refilling essentials.
Key insight: Customers are selecting delivery options based on context, not just speed. That means your delivery mix needs to be flexible, responsive, and closely aligned with customer expectations and product types.
Top retailers aren’t guessing, they’re testing, iterating, and leveraging live data to respond:
1) They’re offering delivery options that fit the product and the occasion, even within the same cart.
2) They’ve stopped assuming Next-Day is always best and are optimising for conversion and margin.
3) They’re using tools like the Scurri Unpacked Benchmark Calculator to evaluate and evolve their mix by sector.
They know that flexibility wins, not just in operations, but in building long-term customer loyalty.
Whether you’re shipping fashion, furniture, or food, your delivery strategy should flex with customer context, and that requires a modern delivery management system that supports intelligent automation and personalisation at scale.
What you should (and shouldn't) do in today’s delivery strategy
- Do benchmark regularly using live ecommerce logistics data — not assumptions or outdated reports.
- Do align your delivery options with product type, order value, and urgency
- Do offer branded tracking, dynamic delivery windows, and flexible returns to reduce WISMO (Where Is My Order?) queries.
- Don’t assume faster is always better — it drains margin where customers don’t value it.
- Don’t rely on fixed shipping rules — use flexible software that adapts to seasonality, cart value, and location.
- Don’t ignore the last mile — that’s where customer experience (and loyalty) is won or lost.
Optimise smarter - not just faster
You don’t need to overspend to meet expectations. With the right delivery software and configuration, you can improve service levels and reduce costs. Here’s how smart ecommerce brands are doing it:
– Automate decision-making: With reliable Delivery Management platforms like Scurri, you can build logic that adapts by region, product type, or delivery promise.
– Smart carrier allocation: Assign the best-fit carrier for each order in real time, balancing cost, reliability, and SLA.
– Automate paperwork: Optimise time of your team generating carrier-approved labels and customs docs, reducing errors and freeing up your team.
– Monitor performance: A unified delivery dashboard lets you track KPIs, costs, and carrier performance across markets.
– Stay agile: Whether you’re scaling up during peak or testing new markets, flexible, modular delivery management systems make it easy.
Key takeaway: Agility is key to meeting nuanced expectations
Today’s delivery expectations aren’t just higher, they’re more nuanced. And with eCommerce logistics evolving rapidly, your delivery management system needs to be just as agile.
Whether your goal is speed, efficiency, or resilience, the key is to stay aligned with real customer behaviour. That means building delivery strategies that are flexible, data-led, and context-aware.
Want to know how your delivery mix stacks up?
Explore Scurri Unpacked to benchmark against your competitors, using insights from over 200 million real-world shipments.