What do customers actually care about when it comes to delivery? We wanted to find out, so we ran a poll to ask what they value most.
The responses surprised us (and confirmed a few hunches too).
From frustrations with missed deliveries to why Gen Z will ghost your brand after one delay, we’re breaking down the results in a six-part series.
But before we dive into those, here’s what you need to know about the bigger picture.
Delivery is no longer an afterthought
With e-commerce sales topping $63 billion in Australia in 2023, the last mile is the new battleground for customer loyalty.
What many businesses don’t realize though, is that the sale is just the halfway mark to beating the competition, it’s not the finish line.
Why? Because if the delivery doesn’t land right, your whole customer experience falls apart. And when that happens, your brand reputation goes out the window too.
According to 360 Magazine‘s Shane Schick, more than 72% of consumers say they’ve abandoned a brand after a bad self-service experience. Just one missed delivery could make a customer walk.
In Australia, where logistics can span wide regions and rural drop-offs, getting it right is even harder.
What our survey uncovered
Here are just a few early findings from our poll:
- 62.5% of respondents say reliability is more important than speed.
- Gen Z ranked SMS updates as a top priority.
- 30.5% of people want delivery times to be faster or more accurate.
- Customers are more likely to switch brands after just one missed delivery.
That’s quite the wake-up call.
What we’ll explore next
We’ll unpack each of these angles in more detail:
- Why reliability beats speed in the eyes of your customers.
- What online shoppers really think about your delivery promise.
- How one missed delivery can cost you two customers.
- Why it’s important to deliver the way Gen Z expects.
- Why the delivery experience is your new storefront.
- And what matters most in the last mile.
We’ll also share tips on how delivery businesses can use this data to improve their last-mile performance, and how Locate2u helps with that.
Our customers know this first-hand; you can hear about their experiences too.
Delivery is more than just delivering
We know delivery isn’t easy.
But your customers don’t care about your route problems or traffic delays. They just want what they ordered, when you said it would arrive, and in a good condition.
This series will help you meet those expectations without guesswork.
Because getting it right the first time is no longer optional when getting it wrong is the cost of doing business…
About the author
Cheryl has contributed to various international publications, with a fervor for data and technology. She explores the intersection of emerging tech trends with logistics, focusing on how digital innovations are reshaping industries on a global scale. When she's not dissecting the latest developments in AI-driven innovation and digital solutions, Cheryl can be found gaming, kickboxing, or navigating the novel niches of consumer gadgetry.
