Highlights. Optimized delivery is a growing concern in e-commerce as 74% of online shoppers expect delivery within two (2) days.

  • 56% of online shoppers between the ages of 18-34 expect same-day delivery.
  • 92% of consumers consider delivery windows when choosing to buy; 88% find real-time delivery tracking critical for a positive customer experience.
  • Half of shoppers are more likely to shop online if offered same-day delivery. 
  • 67% of consumers say free delivery enhances the shopping experience.
  • 68% of leading retailers offer same-day delivery; 51% offer same-day delivery with a minimum purchase.

Pie Chart: North American eCommerce Delivery Speed by time elapsed between order and delivery within North America 0-1 day (7%), 2 days (19%), 3-4 days (48%), 5-7 days (22%), over a week (5%) according to Statista

eCommerce Delivery Consumers

Delivery convenience has a much greater impact on customer loyalty than branding according to peer-reviewed studies. 

  • 69% of consumers say one-day delivery is the best incentive to shop online.
  • 63% of consumers choose a different retailer for later purchases if shipping takes longer than two (2) days.
  • 62% of consumers find an accurate estimated delivery date is more important than fast shipping.
  • 71% of online shoppers would be willing to pay an additional $3.00 for next-day delivery.
  • 62% of online shoppers consider shipping speed critical to a positive online retail experience.
  • An easy delivery process is crucial to 54% of consumers.
  • 43% of consumers have abandoned a cart or a retailer due to slow shipping speeds.
  • Unexpected early delivery correlates with a 1.2% increase in returns for every day the delivery is early.
  • Late delivery correlates with a 1.1% increase in returns for every day the delivery is late.

Grouped Bar Graph: eCommerce Delivery Expectation by Age Group, Survey: "When I buy online, I expect..." "free 2-day delivery" and "free same-day delivery" according to the National Retail Federation

eCommerce Delivery Consumers by Age

Consumer expectations vary by demographic and notably among age groups.

  • 49% of consumers born between 1981 and 1996 (often referred to as Millennials) expect retailers to offer free two-day delivery services; 40% expect free same-day delivery.
  • 58% of Millennials expect free delivery with a minimum order below $50.
  • 40% of those born from 1965 to 1980 (a.k.a. Generation X) expect free two-day delivery; 27% expect same-day delivery.
  • 67% of Gen Xers expect free delivery with a minimum order below $50.
  • 35% of consumers born between 1997 and 2012 (also called Generation Z) consumers expect free two-day delivery; 18% expect free same-day delivery.
  • 68% of Gen Zers expect free delivery with a minimum order below $50.
  • 30% of consumers born from 1946 to 1964 (a.k.a. Baby Boomers) expect free two-day delivery; 11% expect free same-day delivery.
  • 77% of Baby Boomers expect free delivery with a minimum order of $50.

Pie Chart: eCommerce Free Delivery Expectations, Survey: "When I buy online, I expect free shopping with a minimum order size of..." "...less than $50 (68%), "...$50-$99" (20%), "...$100-$149" (7%), "...$150 or higher" (6%) according to the National Retail Federation

eCommerce Free Delivery

While delivery speed is a significant incentive to buy online, most consumers prefer the least expensive delivery option available.

  • 90% of consumers say free delivery is the best incentive to shop online.
  • 77% of consumers say the offer of free delivery increases the likelihood they will purchase.
  • 70% of consumers select the cheapest delivery option available at online checkout.
  • 51% of online shoppers usually buy more in order to reach the minimum threshold for free delivery.
  • Online shoppers spend an average of 30% more on orders that include free delivery.
  • 63% of consumers consider delivery fees when choosing whether to shop online.
  • 38% of consumers expect free two-day delivery.

Bar Graph: U.S. Same-Day Delivery Market in trillions from 2022 ($8.21) to 2024 ($9.25) with projections to 2023 ($13.2) according to Mordor Intelligence

eCommerce Same-Day Delivery

Modern consumers suffer increasingly from “time scarcity”; 30% pay more for delivery that is faster or gives them more control over delivery time.

  • 58% of online shoppers have paid more for faster delivery at least once.
  • 55% of online shoppers have been willing to pay at least $5.00 for same-day delivery.
  • 24% of consumers expect free same-day delivery.
  • 23% of consumers routinely pay more for same-day delivery.
  • 79% of consumers would use drone delivery if it meant getting their item within one hour of purchase.
  • Same-day delivery is subject to time constraints, and most online orders (55%) don’t qualify. 
  • Consumers make just under half (45%) of online orders by 1:00 p.m., which is the typical cut-off to qualify for same-day delivery.

Bar Graph: Worldwide Same-Day Delivery Market in trillions from 2022 ($10.2) to 2024 ($14.9) with projections to 2030 ($46.8) according to Statista

eCommerce Delivery Tracking

Studies show delivery tracking and notification options has a powerful impact on customer satisfaction.

  • 73% of consumers want to be able to track orders throughout delivery.
  • When delivery tracking is available, 96% of consumers use it.
  • 43% of consumers check their tracked orders every day until delivery. 
  • Most online wholesalers (at least 60%) do not alert their customers when an item has been delivered.
  • In 2018, 42% of retailers offered the ability to track orders across channels.
  • 4% of online wholesalers only alert their customers when an item has been delivered.

Pie Chart: eCommerce Delivery Services, Survey: How many online retail delivery services do you use?; One (41%), Two (25%), None and I have no interest in any (21%), None but I am interested in one (13%), according to the National Retail Federation

eCommerce Average Delivery Times

The average U.S. e-commerce delivery takes 2.47 days.

  • Globally, 49% of consumers believe the leading online marketplace in their region (e.g. Amazon, Aliexpress, Rakuten, etc.) has the fastest delivery options.
  • In 2021, the average U.S. e-commerce delivery took 3.6 days.
  • In 2020, delivery times for U.S. digital purchases averaged 6.5 days.
  • Most online order deliveries (74%) arrive within four (4) days.
  • 48% of online orders to North America take 3-4 days to deliver.
  • 7% of North American online orders have same-day or next-day delivery.
  • 5% of North American online orders take longer than a week for delivery.
  • 81% of cross-border digital purchases are delivered within 14 days.

Grouped Bar Graph: U.S. Delivery Mobile App Downloads in millions including DoorDash (21.11), Uber Eats (11.22), Instacart (8.84), Grubhub (6.33), 7-Eleven (3.69), HelloFresh (3.01), Gopuff (2.94), and Factor (2.87), according to Statista

eCommerce Delivery Services

Most consumers pay for a specialty ecommerce delivery service such as Instacart or Amazon Prime.

  • 75% of consumers want more professional delivery service 
  • 66% of consumers pay for at least one delivery service.
  • 25% of online shoppers pay for multiple delivery services.
  • 13% of consumers do not pay for a delivery service but express interest in subscribing to one.

Amazon Delivery Statistics

Amazon has one of the nation’s largest e-commerce delivery networks. 

  • In 2022, the average Amazon delivery took 1.9 days.
  • 58% of Amazon shoppers say Prime same-day delivery has prompted them to increase their order sizes; 39% claim same-day delivery has no impact.
  • 56% of Amazon shoppers say they’ve increased their order sizes with one-day delivery; 43% claim no impact. 

eCommerce Delivery Apps

Digital consumers primarily use delivery apps to order meals or grocery items.

  • 93% of Americans live in a food delivery app service area; this includes 90% of the population living in “food deserts”.
  • 37% of adults have used delivery apps to order groceries or meals; among them, 65% have done so within the last 12 months.
  • 31% of delivery app consumers dislike long delivery times; 30% are frustrated by incorrect orders.
  • 26% of delivery app users dislike the cost of delivery.
  • The world’s most-downloaded food delivery mobile app is Zepto of India, with 70.58 million downloads.
  • The most popular food app in the United States is DoorDash, with 18.8 million U.S. downloads.
  • Worldwide, mobile users have downloaded the DoorDash app 26.5 million times; 70.9% of downloads are within the U.S.
  • UberEats is the second-most popular food delivery app in the U.S. and in the world with 42.7 million global downloads.
  • The U.S. market represents 28.0% of UberEats with 11.97 million downloads.

eCommerce Delivery Industry Statistics

45% of online merchants believe cost is the most important factor of the delivery experience; 27% say speed is most important.

  • Just 11% of online sellers believe convenience is the most important factor of delivery; 13% think delivery tracking and visibility is most important.
  • 65% of third-party-logistics companies (3PLs) process e-commerce orders.
  • Last-mile delivery costs represented 53% of the total cost of shipping in 2023.
  • The relative cost of last-mile delivery increased 29.3% in five (5) years at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 5.27%.
  • In 2018, last-mile delivery costs represented 41% of total shipping costs.

Same-Day Delivery Industry

The U.S. dominates the same-day delivery market with 62.1% of global industry revenues.

  • The U.S. same-day delivery market is worth $9.25 billion as of 2024.
  • Worldwide, the same-day delivery market is worth $14.9 billion.
  • Projections indicate that the market will grow to $15.7 billion in 2033.
  • The U.S. market will have a CAGR of 6.03% between 2024 and 2033.
  • Projections indicate the global same-day delivery market value will grow to $82.9 billion in 2033.
  • The global same-day delivery market has a CAGR of 21.0%.

The Capital One Shopping team compiled these data and insights based on publicly available data.

Sources

  1. Science Direct, Journal of Retailing: The faster, the better? The impact of short delivery times on product returns in online retailing
  2. PwC
  3. McKinsey
  4. Pitney Bowes
  5. MarTech
  6. Mordor Intelligence, United States Same Day Delivery Market
  7. Insider Intelligence, eMarketer
  8. PRWeb, News Releases
  9. MDPI Open Access Journals, Mathematics: The Factors Influencing User Satisfaction in Last-Mile Delivery
  10. Statista, Industry Overview
  11. National Retail Federation, Fulfillment and Delivery
  12. Consumer Reports, We Tried Combining Amazon Deliveries with ‘Amazon Day’ Shipping
  13. Zepto
  14. Parcel Monitor, Data Insights
  15. Strathmore University, SU+ Digital Repository
  16. Material Handling Industry, GreyOrange Inc. [Whitepaper]: Orchestration, the Next Frontier in Warehouse Evolution
  17. DHL, eCommerce Trends Report: 2024 Online Shopping Trends
  18. Interactive Customer Experience Association, 5 effective customer experiences for retailers in the digital age
  19. Brookings, The potential – and pitfalls – of the digitization of America’s food system

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