A single poor delivery experience can cost retailers a customer for good, the latest research from shipping platform Sendcloud has revealed, with almost two thirds of shoppers adopting a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to fulfilment failures.

Original research of over 1,000 UK shoppers in its E-commerce Delivery Compass 2025 report showed that 64% would not re-order from a retailer after a failed delivery. Damaged parcels were enough to lose loyalty among 59% of customers, while a delayed delivery would put off a third (33%) from repurchasing from a brand.

With more than half (57%) of UK shoppers encountering a delivery issue in the last three months, almost a quarter (24%) had reported late deliveries. Other issues included parcels being left in unsecure locations (18%), receiving damaged items (14%) and not receiving tracking updates (11%).

Post-purchase delivery experiences remain problematic

Retailers were also falling short when it came to post-purchase communications, the study warned. A further 45% said they’d experienced issues with tracking their orders, eroding consumer-brand trust and compounding the delivery experience expectations gap.

“Clear, timely updates are essential to earning shoppers’ trust,” said Rob van den Heuvel, CEO and Co-Founder of Sendcloud. “The vast majority of UK shoppers (85%) expect to be notified immediately if there’s a delay with their order. When packages are delayed without explanation, 83% say they feel frustrated. If something goes wrong, 91% want a simple, direct way to reach customer support.”

Over a third (37%) of shoppers experienced frustrations with receiving delivery updates from multiple sources prompting confusion, while a further 46% say they often have to piece together an item’s delivery status across various platforms.

Engagement beyond the buy button to drive future sales

Post-purchase doesn’t just serve to update shoppers as to the status of their parcels, it also acts as a valuable engagement tool, helping retailers up-sell and cross-sell after the checkout.

Research from Scurri shows half (49%) of consumers want to receiving personalised offers in post-purchase tracking communications, which makes them more likely to repeat purchase. However currently almost two thirds (63%) of UK retailers lack the ability to re-target consumers between checkout and delivery. 

Research in its The Future of Post-Purchase and Delivery report, shows year-on-year consumer attitudes towards receiving promotional offers beyond the buy button are becoming increasingly positive. Half (50%) of shoppers say personalised offers in delivery tracking gives them confidence in the brand they are buying from – an increase of +6 percentage points year-on-year.