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‘’FREE’’ & FAST DELIVERY & RETURNS IS KEY TO SALES – ALONG WITH A TRUSTED PROVIDER

1 in 2 global shoppers mainly buy from retailers that offer free delivery and returns and 7 in 10 won’t buy from an online retailer if they don’t trust the provider.

Delivery and returns are a big reason sales are won or lost. But it goes beyond just offering the options that shoppers want to receive and return their items. Shoppers expect ‘free’ delivery and returns, and their items delivered by a provider they know and trust. Get either of these things wrong, and they’re likely to abandon their cart at checkout.


Delivery and returns in numbers

73%

OF GLOBAL SHOPPERS WON’T BUY FROM AN ONLINE RETAILER IF THEY DON’T TRUST THE DELIVERY PROVIDER

78%

OF EUROPEAN SHOPPERS WON’T BUY FROM AN ONLINE RETAILER IF THEY DON’T TRUST THE RETURNS PROVIDER

72%

OF GLOBAL SHOPPERS SAY FREE DELIVERY WOULD IMPROVE THEIR ONLINE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

53%

OF GLOBAL SHOPPERS SAY FREE RETURNS WOULD IMPROVE THEIR ONLINE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

77%

OF EUROPEAN SHOPPERS WON’T BUY FROM AN ONLINE RETAILER IF THEY DON’T TRUST THE DELIVERY PROVIDER

48%

OF GEN Z SHOPPERS HAVE SPENT MORE TO GET FREE DELIVERY – THEN RETURNED THE EXTRA ITEMS

58%

OF GLOBAL SHOPPERS SAY FREE DELIVERY AND RETURNS WOULD GIVE THEM THE CONFIDENCE TO BUY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

40%

OF GLOBAL SHOPPERS SAY DELIVERY BY A TRUSTED PROVIDER WOULD ENCOURAGE THEM TO BUY FROM OTHER COUNTRIES


‘Free’ is the word shoppers want to hear

When it comes to delivery and returns, cost is a dealbreaker. Shoppers increasingly expect free options as standard – and many will walk away if they’re not offered. Free delivery and returns reduce barriers to purchase and give shoppers the confidence to hit ‘buy now.’ If you want to stay competitive, it pays to make ‘free’ part of your promise.

 

Mainly buy from retailers that offer free delivery

Mainly buy from retailers that offer free returns

Would abandon their cart if not offered their preferred delivery options

Would abandon their cart if not offered their preferred returns options

Argentina

47%

61%

87%

83%

Australia

46%

44%

85%

72%

Austria

52%

62%

87%

81%

Brazil

54%

65%

91%

87%

Canada

61%

62%

82%

78%

China

57%

59%

77%

78%

The Czech Republic

34%

36%

84%

77%

France

55%

57%

78%

77%

Germany

46%

55%

85%

79%

India

63%

69%

80%

81%

Italy

57%

65%

85%

85%

Malaysia

55%

55%

78%

75%

Morocco

63%

69%

86%

84%

The Netherlands

43%

46%

83%

78%

Nigeria

24%

37%

65%

65%

Poland

37%

38%

79%

74%

South Africa

35%

53%

80%

80%

Spain

52%

63%

84%

82%

Sweden

46%

45%

87%

80%

Thailand

61%

51%

63%

70%

Turkey

60%

66%

87%

89%

The UAE

52%

63%

84%

85%

The UK

46%

49%

80%

75%

The USA

52%

55%

76%

71%

Global

50%

55%

81%

79%

Europe

48%

53%

83%

80%

Gen Z

48%

50%

76%

73%

Millennials

50%

55%

81%

78%

Gen X

51%

58%

83%

81%

Baby Boomers

51%

59%

86%

84%


Trust is key to winning the sale

From missed deliveries to complicated returns, customers remember bad experiences. And these shape their future buying decisions. Shoppers need to feel confident that their order will arrive on time and in good condition, and that returning it will be simple if it’s not right. A reliable, trusted delivery and returns provider sets clear expectations at checkout – and can be the difference between winning the sale or losing it.

 

Won’t buy from an online retailer if they don’t trust the delivery provider

Won’t buy from an online retailer if they don’t trust the returns provider

Argentina

74%

78%

Australia

78%

78%

Austria

81%

80%

Brazil

80%

83%

Canada

78%

81%

China

58%

63%

The Czech Republic

86%

83%

France

75%

75%

Germany

75%

76%

India

50%

57%

Italy

76%

77%

Malaysia

64%

66%

Morocco

73%

76%

The Netherlands

85%

81%

Nigeria

82%

81%

Poland

81%

82%

South Africa

85%

87%

Spain

64%

70%

Sweden

81%

80%

Thailand

53%

58%

Turkey

70%

75%

The UAE

65%

69%

The UK

74%

76%

The USA

72%

73%

Global

73%

75%

Europe

77%

78%

Gen Z

66%

68%

Millennials

68%

71%

Gen X

76%

78%

Baby Boomers

85%

85%


Delivery and returns continue to be the main reason sales are won or lost – if its not ‘free’ and fast expect frustrated customers

As shopper frustrations rise year-on-year, it presents a unique opportunity for retailers to identify pain points and improve the customer experience.

There’s no such thing as truly ‘free’ delivery or returns – but including this cost in your product pricing instead of adding additional charges at the checkout could be the solution. Shoppers also want better product information and images – getting this right is crucial to the sale and minimizing returns.

Visual of two rows of five parcel boxes from largest to smallest, showing the frustrations and improvements online shoppers want. Frustrations include: 58% high delivery costs, 52% long delivery times, 42% not enough product information, 390% having to pay for returns and 36% not enough product images. Improvements include: 72% free delivery, 53% free returns, 52% faster delivery, 46% better product descriptions and 45% customer reviews and images.

How have shoppers’ frustrations and what they want improved changed in the past year?

Frustrations:

2024

2025

High delivery costs

54%

58%

Long delivery times

46%

52%

Not enough product information

37%

42%

Having to pay for returns

37%

39%

Not enough product images

31%

36%


Improvements:

2024

2025

Free delivery

67%

72%

Free returns

48%

53%

Fast delivery

42%

52%

Better product description

41%

46%

Customer reviews and images

39%

45%


7 in 10 shoppers trust DHL to deliver their online purchases and handle their returns


All stats and figures are taken from the DHL eCommerce Online Shopper Survey conducted between February and March 2025. Respondents were required to have made at least one purchase online within the three months prior to the survey. 70+ questions were asked to 24,000 respondents across 24 countries (1,000 per country) with an equal split across demographics – where possible. The countries chosen for this survey represent some of the most active e-commerce markets across the globe. Where percentages do not equal 100%, this is due to certain questions having multiple-choice options. Where there is a deviation of percentages over 100%, this is due to rounding of answer options. Not all data from the survey is displayed on this page. Country, regional, generational, and shopper profile data is provided, but this does not reach a level of statistical significance to make definitive statements about specific groups globally. Figures are correct at the time of publishing.


Explore even more trends from the current and past reports:


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