New Bringg Study Reveals Consumers--Especially Power Shoppers--Value Reliable, Flexible Delivery Experiences Over Free Shipping
Consumers expect free shipping. They reward reliability and flexibility with brand loyalty, according to Bringg's 2025 Delivery Experience Study
CHICAGO, Nov. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bringg, the last-mile solutions leader, today released new consumer research showing reliable, flexible delivery experiences are the primary drivers of ecommerce loyalty.
According to the 2025 Delivery Experience Study, 75% of respondents do more than half of their online shopping via Amazon. Known for fast and free shipping, Amazon has set the delivery standard that most retailers cannot match. The data shows, however, that competing on low-cost or free shipping isn't enough to stand out anymore. Retailer leaders that want to compete in today's market offer differentiated delivery experiences by focusing on two factors in particular: flexibility and reliability.
Key consumer insights:
- Delivery experience is a central pre-purchase component: 71% think about delivery before checkout and 41% consider delivery promise before browsing products
- Speed and cost are expected, not differentiated: 7 in 10 shoppers expect low-cost or free delivery
- Reliability outweighs raw speed: 72% rate on-time arrival as an essential delivery experience factor, outweighing delivery costs. 35% permanently abandon a retailer after a late delivery; this is a reliability failure, not a cost failure
- Delivery impacts cart abandonment and conversion: 61% of shoppers abandon carts when delivery isn't flexible and 60% cite on-time guarantees as a key factor for completing checkout
- Negative delivery experiences jeopardize customer loyalty: 55% of shoppers stop buying from a brand after a single negative delivery experience
- Late deliveries damage brand reputation: Up to 62% of consumers blame retailers for late delivery; 47% of shoppers blame retailers and carriers equally and 15% blame the retailer even when carriers are responsible
- High-income power shoppers reward positive delivery experiences with loyalty and repeat purchases: 65% of regular shoppers say a positive delivery experience convinced them to buy again, even when the price is higher than competitors. That number jumps to 83% of affluent power shoppers (with more than $150k/year annual income and 11+ online orders/month) and 81% of power shoppers (11+ online orders/month).
The delivery experience pillars: flexible and reliable
Yesterday's differentiators (speed, cost) are now table stakes. Retailers can't win on cost and speed; they can only lose if they fail to meet the standard. Today's differentiators are experiential.
Reliable: delivered on time, as promised
- 72% of respondents rate on-time arrival as highly important, and 35% abandon a retailer permanently after a late delivery
- 65% say a positive delivery experience convinced them to buy again, even when the price is higher than competitors
- 36% of shoppers that are willing to pay more after a good delivery say real-time tracking is critical
Flexible: options that fit busy lives
- 61% abandon carts when delivery options aren't flexible
- 59% say responsive post-purchase service defines a "great" delivery
Delivery table stakes: deal-makers, but not deal-breakers
- 69% of shoppers rate low/free shipping as important, but only 31% will abandon a cart if it isn't offered
- 63% value easy returns/exchanges while shopping, but only 11% say return policies lead to brand abandonment
The loyalty flywheel
Bringg's Delivery Experience Study shows reliability and flexibility tie directly to consumer loyalty. It also shows how quickly a negative delivery experience jeopardizes it. This is especially clear for power shoppers, those that make 11+ online purchases per month, and affluent power shoppers, those that make 11+ online purchases per month and have more than $150k annual income.
Reliability and flexibility create a loyalty flywheel: the most profitable customers have the highest expectations and reward retailers that meet them. Conversely, they have the lowest tolerance for delivery failures.
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Methodology
The findings came from a nationwide Bringg-commissioned survey of 1,000 U.S. online shoppers conducted Q3 2025. Respondents were segmented by shopping frequency, household income, and age group.
About Bringg
Global retailers and logistics providers reduce costs and deliver differentiated customer experiences with Bringg Last-Mile Solutions. Through Bringg's modular technology platform, integrated fleet network, and services suite, business leaders automate processes, optimize order delivery, and invent new business models. Unlock flexibility at scale. Any order. Any fleet. Delivered.
Subscribe to Bringg to receive the full report when it's released.
Naomi Whittome
Associate PR & Business Director
GingerMay
naomi.whittome@teamgingermay.com
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SOURCE Bringg