While last-mile delivery has always been popular, it only started to become an essential part of the shipping process during the pandemic. As customer expectations changed, so did the need for more distribution hubs that avoided time delays. Now, delivery is close to “near-instant.”

9 Statistics That Stress The Importance of Last-Mile Delivery

There’s no doubt that the pandemic disrupted businesses and the way we deliver packages, but it’s hard to see how significant last-mile rocked eCommerce without looking at the numbers.

1. 73% of People are Shopping Online More Than Than They Did Last Year

Source (News - Alert): Topagency

This Topagency study shows how quickly the last mile delivery market has expanded since the pandemic. These same study participants say they’ll continue to go online even when things go back to normal. Businesses will have to hire last-mile delivery companies to compete.

2. The Last Mile (News - Alert) Delivery Market is Expected to Grow to 200 Billion by 2027

Source: Statista

Thanks to eCommerce giants like Amazon and UberEats, small businesses are spending a lot of money to spruce up their delivery. Before the pandemic, statisticians couldn’t imagine a world where online delivery has a total market share of 200 billion, but it’s going to happen in 2027.

3. 44% of Consumers Say They’re Willing to Wait Two Days for Orders

Source: Statista

It’s clear that consumers were more patient before the pandemic, as less than a quarter of respondents are willing to wait 3 to 4 days to receive their package. 18% are fine waiting less than a day, but the majority of respondents refuse to wait over two days for a delivery.

4. 45% of Shoppers Won’t Buy From a Company Again If an Order is Late

Source: Clutch

Your consumers want you to deliver a package quickly, and they won’t forgive you if it’s late. If your business can’t promise quick delivery times, that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. Most consumers prefer reliability over speed, so you don’t have to stress over same-day delivery.

5. 62% of Holiday Spending Occured Online During Christmas 2021

Source: Deloitte (News - Alert)

This percentage was up from 2020 when 57% of consumers shifted holiday spending online. It looks like some pandemic behaviors are going to stay. For example, mobile usage increased over the last two years, and returns are higher because of delivery issues or stocking shortages.

6. 41% of Consumers Will Pay An Extra Charge for Same-Day Delivery

Source: PWC

Most businesses are worried about adopting same-day shipping because of how expensive it can be, but it turns out most consumers are willing to pay extra for this privilege. This statistic shows how vital a shorter delivery window can be for businesses and consumers.

7. 45% of Online Consumers Say Retailers Meet Delivery Expectations

Source: eMarketer (News - Alert)

While most business owners would agree fast delivery is essential, less than 50% of buyers agree that retailers meet their delivery expectations. That means 55% of companies are either delivering their packages late, shipping items that are broken, or losing purchased products.

8. Only 55% of Retailers are Offer Same-Day Delivery to Customers

Source: efulfillment service

That same efulfillment service study shows that over 75% of customers want same-day delivery, but 20% of businesses are falling short. While this gap is large, your company can use this statistic as a growing opportunity and clearly indicates that your consumers want this option.

9. 55% of Millenials and 56% of Gen Xers Prefer to Shop Online

Source: Deloitte

Younger consumers will almost always prefer to shop online unless the item requires in-person inspection or a fitting. For example, some Millennials and Gen Xers won’t buy clothing online because they’re concerned the measurements will be off, or the item won’t look good on them.