Delivery remains the primary reason for shoppers to buy online, ConsumerX research suggests, with the newly published RetailX Top500 Brands D2C: Europe 2024 report tracking delivery times and charges.
The report has found that brands are moving away from the particularly popular option of offering free delivery on all orders. This is available from 23% of brands selling to Europe, and higher among those selling to Italy (31%), Germany (29%) and Portugal and France (both 28%).
Instead, more offer free delivery only when shoppers spend a minimum amount, a tactic now taken by 48% of those selling to Europe, and by more than half of those selling to Latvia (56%), Ireland (54%) and Spain (53%). It is less used by those selling to Bulgaria (28%) and to Malta (29%). That minimum order amount is an average of €66 for brands selling to Europe. The median brand offers free delivery when shoppers spend €51.9. The figures are higher for brands delivering to Switzerland (average: €119/ median: €65) and Denmark (€65.1/€57.5) and lower for those delivering to Poland (€48/€38.80) and Hungary (€38/€42.5).
Delivery times
The speed of delivery is also an important question for shoppers considering buying. In 2024, 31% of Top500 brands selling to Europe offer next-day delivery. This is highest among those selling to the UK (39%), followed by Lithuania (29%), and lowest when selling to Switzerland (8%). Just over one in 10 (12%) of brands selling to European markets offer same-day delivery. Shoppers are most likely to be able to get same-day delivery when they are buying from Poland (6%) and Greece (5%), and least likely when ordering to Norway, where less than 1% of brands offer this service.
The graph above shows the change in availability of delivery services over time. Numbers in the graph vary because it assesses change among the 300 brands that were common to the index over every year shown. Standard delivery takes an average of 5.49 days, for brands selling to Europe, and a median of 4.97 days. Brands charge an average of €4.87, while the median brand charges €4.62.
Standard delivery is fastest when selling to Denmark (average: 4.58/median: 4 days), the Netherlands (4.75/4) and Belgium (5.04/4), and slowest when selling to Malta (8.71/7) and Norway (7.43/7). It is cheapest when selling to Poland (average €3.82/ median €2.68) and Romania (€3.31/€3.67); and most expensive when selling to Cyprus (€7.62/€7).
How Dreams helps shoppers take delivery of – or return – their order
UK beds brand Dreams offers generous fulfilment options that win it a place among the leading brands in the Operations Value Chain. Shoppers landing on its home page can see the offer of free delivery on all orders, and a 100-night ‘comfort guarantee’ that acts as an extended returns period.
Shoppers choose their delivery date when placing their order. For an extra fee, they can specify an AM, PM or Saturday delivery. On the day, customers will receive a text with a two-hour delivery slot, and deliveries are made to the room that they choose. Trustpilot reviews on the site include positive comments on deliveries.
This except from the Operations section in the RetailX Top500 Brands D2C: Europe 2024 report was authored by Chloe Rigby. The feature also looks at returns and collections.
The full report charts the performance of direct-to-consumer brands selling to shoppers across Europe. It is designed to help brands of all sizes understand how their performance measures up against the leaders selling to shoppers in a key global market – and what it takes to have that lead.
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