Top 70+ Ecommerce Delivery Statistics Every BDR and AE Should Know in 2025

The world of online shopping has transformed dramatically, and delivery has become the make-or-break factor for ecommerce success. With global ecommerce sales expected to hit $6.9 trillion in 2025, understanding delivery trends isn’t just helpful—it’s essential for anyone selling to ecommerce businesses.

Why should BDRs and AEs care about ecommerce delivery statistics? Simple. Every ecommerce company you prospect is wrestling with delivery challenges. When 48% of shoppers abandon carts due to shipping costs and 84% won’t return after one poor delivery experience, your prospects are under immense pressure to optimize their operations.

Let’s dive into the numbers that matter.

The Explosive Growth of Ecommerce

The ecommerce industry continues its relentless expansion, creating massive opportunities and challenges around delivery.

Market Size & Growth Trajectory

Global ecommerce is absolutely massive. Retail ecommerce sales worldwide are estimated to reach $6.42 trillion in 2025, which represents a 6.86% year-over-year increase. Ecommerce accounts for 20.5% of total retail sales worldwide in 2025, and this share is forecasted to reach 22.5% by 2028.

In the United States specifically:

• Retail ecommerce sales in the US amounted to $1.19 trillion in 2024, up from $1.01 trillion in 2022
• As of 2024, ecommerce represents a 16.13% share of all retail sales in the US
• In 2025, 21% of retail purchases are expected to take place online, and this share will rise to 22.6% by 2027

Mobile Commerce Dominance

Mobile shopping is taking over. Revenue from mobile ecommerce sales worldwide reached $2.51 trillion in 2025, accounting for 59% of total ecommerce sales. In 2024, a massive 81.4% of all ecommerce sales in India took place through a mobile device, the highest percentage anywhere in the world.

In the US market:

• Mobile ecommerce accounts for nearly half (44.1%) of US online sales in 2024, representing $564.1 billion in order value
• By 2027, mobile commerce is forecasted to reach $856.4 billion in sales in the US, accounting for 49.79% of online sales
• With 66% of online orders being placed via smartphones, it’s clear that mobile commerce is driving the future of eCommerce

B2B Ecommerce: The Sleeping Giant

B2B ecommerce is exploding too. Gartner predicts that 80% of B2B sales interactions will occur on digital channels by 2025. This presents enormous opportunities for sales professionals targeting business clients.

• 65% of B2B companies across all industries offer ecommerce capabilities
• More than 1/3 of B2B buyers say they’re willing to spend $500,000 or more on digital channels, and 15% say they’re comfortable making purchases of more than $1 million online

Customer Delivery Expectations: The Speed vs Cost Battle

Understanding what customers expect from delivery is crucial for any business selling to ecommerce companies. Customer experience during delivery can make or break brand loyalty.

The Need for Speed

Customers want their orders fast. As of 2024, 55% of consumers across all markets expected delivery to arrive within just 48 hours, a 5% increase compared to 2023. After a turbulent few years, online shoppers’ definition of “fast shipping” has stabilized at an average of 3.1 days for 2024.

However, speed expectations vary by urgency:

• When asked about their delivery expectations for online purchases across various categories, nearly two-thirds of global shoppers anticipated receiving their items within 24 hours
• By April of 2023, 41% of shoppers hoped to receive their orders within 24 hours, and a whopping 24% expected a delivery window of just two hours
• According to a 2021 survey, more than 40 percent of U.S. consumers expected their online delivery to take two to three days

Reality check: Ninety percent of consumers are willing to wait two or three days for deliveries—especially if it lets them avoid shipping costs.

The Free Shipping Demand

Free shipping isn’t just preferred—it’s expected. The statistics are staggering:

• 62% of online shoppers won’t purchase without free shipping
• 82% of shoppers would rather get free shipping over expedited shipping
• 70% of people say free shipping is the reason why they shop online
• Free delivery is the most convincing purchase driver – 52.6% said free delivery would encourage them to complete a purchase

The cost of not offering free shipping is brutal: 48% of online shoppers abandon their carts due to high shipping costs.

Reliability & Transparency Matter

Getting it right the first time is critical. Customers don’t just want fast and free—they want reliable and transparent delivery.

Tracking and communication expectations:

• About 50 percent of respondents say they track the status of orders to ensure that the shipment is progressing and remains on time
• Survey respondents rank on-time delivery as more important to their satisfaction than speedy delivery
• More than 50 percent of survey respondents place importance on being able to schedule deliveries

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Cart Abandonment: The $260 Billion Problem

Shopping cart abandonment represents one of the biggest pain points for ecommerce businesses, and delivery issues are a major culprit.

The Scale of the Problem

Cart abandonment rates are staggering. Based on data collected, the average cart abandonment rate is 70.19%. 70.19% of all online shopping carts are abandoned by shoppers in 2024, a slight 0.28% increase from the previous year but a huge 3.11% increase from the past decade.

The mobile challenge is even worse: The abandonment rate on phones is 80.79%, compared to desktop users who only have a 73.93% abandonment rate.

Delivery-Related Abandonment Causes

Shipping costs are the #1 killer: 48% of shopping carts are abandoned due to excess shipping fees and taxes added during final checkout. 55% of users abandon their carts due to unexpected charges that were not mentioned while selecting the product.

Other delivery-related abandonment factors:

• 18% of users leave their carts because they don’t like the return policy
• If a delivery is estimated to take longer than a week, 38% of shoppers will abandon their order
• The second most common reason to abandon carts is mandatory account creation (26%)

Industry Variations

Different industries see dramatically different abandonment rates:

• Luxury and jewelry industry has the highest shopping cart abandonment rate with 81.68%
• Home and furniture industry follows with a cart abandonment rate of 78.65%
• Groceries (50.03%) and pharmaceuticals (57.31%) experience lower cart abandonment rates

The Recovery Opportunity

The good news? Cart abandonment can be recovered: Over 40% of cart abandonment emails are opened, and 50% of users who click on cart abandonment emails will proceed to purchase the items in their carts.

According to Baymard Institute, the average large-sized ecommerce site can gain a 35.26% increase in conversion rate through better checkout design.

International Shipping: Going Global

Cross-border ecommerce is booming, but it brings unique delivery challenges that create opportunities for solutions providers.

Cross-Border Growth

International shopping is mainstream: 52% of online shoppers look for products internationally. 67% of online shoppers have made a cross-border purchase.

The market size is impressive: Cross-border ecommerce creates both opportunities and challenges for businesses trying to serve global customers.

International Delivery Expectations

Patience varies by region: 66% of shoppers in the United Arab Emirates were okay with waiting between one and seven days for international deliveries if it meant getting free shipping. In India and China, 58% of people felt the same way.

Free shipping wins globally: Up to 50% of global consumers are willing to wait one week for their cross-border orders to arrive.

Returns: The Reverse Logistics Challenge

Returns are an inevitable part of ecommerce, creating significant operational and cost challenges.

Return Rates & Costs

Online returns are significantly higher than in-store returns: Online shoppers return 30% of all products ordered through ecommerce sales. This creates a massive reverse logistics operation that many businesses struggle to optimize.

Customer expectations for returns are high: 45% of consumers want free return shipping. 58% of customers want a “no questions asked” return policy.

Returns impact purchasing decisions: 66% feel like a better return policy will make them more compelled to buy the product.

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Technology Trends Shaping Delivery

Innovation in delivery technology is accelerating, driven by customer demands for speed and convenience.

Same-Day Delivery Growth

Same-day delivery is becoming standard: The market is growing rapidly as customer expectations increase.

Consumer willingness to pay: 55% of consumers are willing to pay for same-day delivery. This creates opportunities for premium service offerings.

Sustainable Delivery

Environmental consciousness is rising: As of January 2024, over 50% of consumers perceived ecommerce as harmful to the environment. Additionally, 71% of consumers revealed that they planned to make more sustainable purchasing decisions throughout the year.

Willingness to pay for sustainability: More than one-third of consumers are willing to pay an additional one or two dollars for more sustainable shipping.

Carbon-neutral expectations: Over 50% of consumers expected online delivery to be carbon-neutral.

Delivery Flexibility

Customers want options: 73% of online shoppers selected home delivery as their go-to option. However, out-of-home (OOH) delivery options such as lockers, click-and-collect, and other pick-up points took hold.

Cost vs speed priorities are shifting: 35% of customers identified the cost of delivery as the most important factor, a 10% increase from 2022.

Key Statistics by Industry

Different industries face unique delivery challenges and customer expectations.

Fashion & Apparel

Fashion has some of the highest return rates and cart abandonment rates due to fit and style concerns.

Electronics

Electronics often require careful packaging and secure delivery, impacting costs and delivery time.

Groceries & Food

Food delivery has unique freshness requirements and timing constraints.

B2B Industries

Business customers often have different delivery requirements, including bulk shipments and specific timing needs.

What This Means for BDRs and AEs

Understanding these ecommerce delivery statistics helps you have more informed conversations with prospects.

Pain Points to Listen For

• High cart abandonment rates
• Customer service complaints about shipping
• Rising delivery costs
• International expansion challenges
• Return processing inefficiencies

Conversation Starters

When prospecting ecommerce businesses, you can reference these statistics to show your understanding of their challenges:

“I’ve been reading that 48% of cart abandonment is due to unexpected shipping costs. How is your team balancing customer expectations for free shipping with profitability?”

Positioning Your Solution

Even if your product isn’t directly related to delivery, you can position it as helping busy ecommerce teams:

“With all the operational complexity around delivery optimization, having accurate contact data saves your sales team valuable time they can invest in strategic growth initiatives.”

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Key Takeaways for Sales Professionals

1. Ecommerce is massive and growing – $6.9 trillion globally in 2025
2. Mobile dominates – 59% of ecommerce sales happen on mobile
3. Free shipping is non-negotiable – 62% won’t buy without it
4. Cart abandonment is a $260 billion problem – mostly due to delivery issues
5. Speed expectations are stabilizing – around 3.1 days for “fast” shipping
6. International commerce is mainstream – 52% shop internationally
7. Returns are expensive – 30% of online purchases get returned
8. Sustainability matters – 71% want to make eco-friendly purchase decisions
9. B2B is going digital – 80% of B2B sales interactions will be digital by 2025
10. Technology is transforming delivery – drones, lockers, and automation

Understanding these trends helps you connect with ecommerce prospects by speaking their language and addressing their real challenges.

For more insights on reaching ecommerce prospects effectively, check out our guides on creating an ICP template and best cold email formulas. You can also explore our LinkedIn email finder to identify key contacts at ecommerce companies.

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Frequently Asked Questions