Survey details impact of shipping fees, returns experience on consumers
Unexpected shipping fees remain a big customer turn-off.
The majority (71%) of consumers have abandoned items in their carts due to unanticipated shipping fees, according to Ryder Systems’ 12th annual benchmark study of U.S. consumer online shopping behaviors, preferences and expectations. Forty-eight percent of consumers will research which brands offer free/cheaper shipping.
In addition, 73% consumers added items to their carts to qualify for free shipping — the highest since 2023.
In other findings, 39% of consumers now expect delivery within one to two days – a four-year high.
Returns
Consumers are nearly split on return method preferences for online orders. Among all shoppers surveyed, 52% prefer in-store while 48% prefer to return via mail/drop box.
Of the 79% of respondents who had returns experiences that prevented them from shopping with a brand again, the absence of options to return online orders in-store and via mail were cited equally, highlighting the importance of returns management as part of a seamless omnichannel strategy, the report said.
AI
Beyond product discovery, AI is increasingly shaping how consumers evaluate and select products, with 64% now using AI-assisted shopping tools, according to the study.
Among these consumers, search and shopping assistants lead adoption (45%), followed by customer review summaries or key takeaways (37%), visual or image-based search (33%), voice assistants (31%) and virtual try-on or visualization tools (31%).
“Industry-wide data echoes our findings, reinforcing that AI is fundamentally changing online shopping behaviors; another study found that nearly three in five consumers have begun replacing traditional search engines with generative AI search,” said Jeff Wolpov, Ryder senior VP of e-commerce and Ryder Last Mile. “What it all amounts to is, if products are not optimized for AI-powered search results, brands may lose consideration in the consumer buying journey.”
Other insights from the report are below:
•A new e-commerce trend emerged this year, noted Ryder, as survey respondents’ use of remote locker/location pickup jumped 14%, surpassing buy online pickup in-store and curbside pickup as the leading alternative fulfillment option compared to ship-to-home.
•At the same time, 86% of consumers have picked up or returned online purchases in-store up 3% year over year. Half (52%) of that group (up 17%) now reporting they often make additional purchases while there, demonstrating the revenue opportunity of integrated omnichannel strategies.
•While price continues to play a significant role in brand consideration and purchase decisions, its influence softened in two retail categories. Among apparel and beauty shoppers, price’s role in purchase decisions decreased 12% and 13%, respectively year-over-year, marking a three-year low for beauty. Product materials and ingredients, environmental impact, and ethical practices proved to be purchase drivers, cumulatively gaining 13% for each group.
Ryder System is a nearly $13 billion leading provider of outsourced logistics and transportation services throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.