Delivery Promises: What 14 Small Brands Actually Shipped
I placed one order with each of fourteen independent online stores in the same week and recorded the dispatch window promised at checkout, the real dispatch time, the delivery time, the packaging and every message received. Half kept their promise. The rest fell short in the same two ways.
Why dispatch time matters more than delivery time
A customer cannot reasonably hold a small store responsible for a courier's delays. They can hold it responsible for when the parcel leaves the building, and for whether the promise made at checkout matched reality. Dispatch time is the part the brand controls, and it is where trust is won or lost.
To see how independent stores perform, I placed fourteen orders in one week in June with stores across home, pet, beauty, stationery and apparel, all with fewer than 20 staff based on their public information. Order values ranged from 18 to 94 US dollars. I chose stores I had not bought from before.
Method
- Recorded the dispatch window stated at checkout or on the shipping page, such as "ships in 1 to 2 business days".
- Recorded the timestamp of the order confirmation and of the dispatch notification with tracking.
- Recorded the courier's first scan, the delivery date and the condition of the parcel on arrival.
- Recorded every email or message received between order and delivery, and its content.
Results
| Promised dispatch window met | 7 of 14 stores |
|---|---|
| Dispatched within one business day of the window closing | 4 of 14 |
| Dispatched more than two business days late | 3 of 14 |
| Sent a dispatch notification with working tracking | 12 of 14 |
| Proactively told the customer about a delay | 1 of the 7 late stores |
| Parcel arrived damaged or with damaged contents | 2 of 14 |
| Average promised dispatch | 1.6 business days |
| Average actual dispatch | 2.4 business days |
Half of the stores did exactly what they said. Of the other half, most missed by a day, which a customer will usually forgive if they are told. Only one store told me. The other six simply went quiet until the tracking email arrived, which is the point at which a customer starts to wonder whether the order was received at all.
The two ways promises were broken
1. The window was written for the best case
Several stores promised "same day" or "next day" dispatch on their shipping page and then took two or three days. When I asked one of them afterwards, the owner said the promise was true for orders placed before 11 in the morning on a weekday, but that condition was not stated at checkout. A promise that is true only under conditions the customer cannot see is not a promise the customer can rely on.
2. Silence when late
Six of the seven late stores sent nothing between the order confirmation and the dispatch notification. The one that did sent a short email on the day the window closed, saying the order would ship the next morning and thanking me for my patience. That store was two days late in the end and I would order from it again. Two of the silent stores were only one day late and I would hesitate to order from them again. The difference is entirely communication.
Tracking and notifications
Twelve stores sent a dispatch email with a tracking link that worked. One sent a tracking number with no link and no courier name. One sent nothing until the parcel arrived. Two stores sent an additional message on the day of delivery, which is useful and was appreciated. None sent excessive messages; the problem across the group was too little communication, not too much.
Packaging
Twelve parcels arrived in good condition. One ceramic item arrived broken inside a box with no internal padding beyond a single sheet of paper; the store replaced it without argument within a week. One apparel order arrived in a mailer bag that had split, with the contents undamaged. Nine stores used recyclable card or paper packaging throughout. Four included a personal note or card; three included a discount code for a second order.
What separated the seven that delivered
I followed up with the owners of the seven stores that met their window and asked how they manage dispatch. Three answers came up repeatedly:
- The promise is set from the slowest day, not the fastest. If Monday is busy, the window is written for Monday.
- Someone owns the order queue. A named person checks unfulfilled orders at a fixed time each day, even in a two-person business.
- Cut-off times are shown at checkout. "Order by 2pm for dispatch today" is stated where the customer decides, not on a separate shipping page.
Recommendations for small stores
- State the dispatch window at checkout and make it one you can meet on your worst day.
- If an order will miss the window, send one short email on the day it closes. This alone would have changed my view of six of the seven late stores.
- Include the courier name and a working tracking link in the dispatch email.
- Pack fragile items as if the box will be dropped, because it will be.
Recommendations for shoppers
Read the shipping page before ordering and look for a cut-off time. A store that states one is more likely to have thought about its dispatch process. If a parcel has not been dispatched by the end of the promised window, email the store; most will respond quickly and honestly, and the reply will tell you more about the brand than the product page did.