#United States #Milpitas #consumer survey #Locus Logistics #Delivery Standards

Rising Expectations in Delivery Services

The logistics technology firm, Locus, has recently conducted a comprehensive survey aimed at understanding the evolving expectations of consumers regarding delivery services. This survey included responses from 1,000 U.S. shoppers and 2,000 from the U.K., gathering insights into what consumers now deem essential in their purchasing experiences. Conducted in November 2025, the results were released on Returns Day, a significant date marked by increased post-holiday returns in the U.S.

Key Findings

The survey revealed that mere speed in delivery is no longer the sole expectation; consumers now demand reliability and effective communication as well. Among the notable findings:

• - Fast Delivery as the Standard: 65% of U.S. consumers believe that a delivery timeframe of 2-3 days should be standard, while more than 80% of U.K. consumers anticipate delivery within four days.
• - Delivery Performance Impacts Brand Perception: A striking 93% of U.S. consumers agree that the performance of a delivery influences their overall perception of a brand negatively or positively.
• - Distrust in Fast Delivery Promises: Surprisingly, fewer than 10% of consumers, specifically only 9% in the U.S. and 7% in the U.K., trust that retailers will consistently meet their promises regarding fast or guaranteed delivery times.
• - Importance of Proactive Communications: More than 90% of U.S. consumers indicated that timely updates regarding their delivery status could mitigate dissatisfaction from delays.
• - Consumer Frustration with Delivery Failures: Delivery issues such as false 'delivered' notifications were reported as the most frustrating experience for 94% of U.K. consumers, with 21% of U.S. respondents citing missed delivery windows as their top complaint.
• - Expectations Remain High During Peak Seasons: In the U.S., a staggering 51% of shoppers expect holiday delivery speeds to be at least as fast as normal, showing limited tolerance for delays during busier seasons.

Industry Implications

Nishith Rastogi, founder and CEO of Locus, emphasized that while speed remains important, the greater challenge lies in achieving reliability at scale. Slow deliveries not only frustrate customers but also incur additional costs related to reattempts and logistic inefficiencies. Consequently, brands that set realistic expectations and maintain open lines of communication with their customers are likely to foster more trust and operational efficiency than those that focus solely on promises of quicker delivery.

As logistics networks become increasingly complex, there is a growing pressure on logistics providers to manage real-time disruptions effectively. Locus serves as an agentic Transportation Management System (TMS), enabling real-time decision-making across multifaceted delivery networks.

For brands to navigate this new landscape successfully, understanding consumer expectations and adapting to them is essential. With their advanced solutions in logistics technology, Locus continues to pave the way for an efficient, reliable delivery future. To learn more about their platform and insights, you can visit Locus.sh.

About Locus

Locus is part of the Ingka Group and is recognized as an agentic TMS, catering to the needs of extensive enterprises with its deployment across over 350 customers in more than 30 countries. The platform integrates orders, capacity, and carrier networks into a dynamic plan to solve complex logistics hurdles. To date, Locus has optimized over 1.5 billion deliveries, generating substantial logistics cost savings and minimizing environmental impact, such as avoiding over 17 million kg of emissions.