Delivery Tracking: Data & Consumer Habits

If you’ve ever purchased a product or item online, chances are that you’ve been able to track its delivery status. Some consumers view delivery tracking as a convenience while others say they can’t live without it. However you view delivery tracking, it’s clear that it has become more advanced over the years thanks to technology and GPS.

We were curious to find out how consumers view delivery tracking as well as their delivery preferences, so we surveyed more than 2,000 people around the country to understand their delivery tracking habits.

Delivery Tracking

If you track your deliveries after making a purchase online, you’re not alone. In fact, 96% of respondents say they track their orders and 43% say they track deliveries daily. Millennials are most likely to keep track of their orders every day.

Throughout the last year, safety protocols have caused consumers to experience COVID-related shipping delays. Overall, 87% of respondents say they’ve felt the effects of these delays and have had a package delivered late.

How Important is Delivery Tracking to Consumers?

Online orders can range from various different sizes and price ranges, which is why many consumers view delivery tracking as an essential part of the purchasing process. More than half of respondents (57%) say that the ability to track an online order is “very important” to them and only 3% feel it’s “not important at all.”

When it comes to delivery and shipping preferences, most consumers (45%) feel that 2-3 days is an acceptable amount of time to wait while nearly one-quarter prefer next-day shipping.

If you’ve ever ordered an item online, you probably felt a sense of anticipation awaiting its arrival. For some adults, it’s the equivalent of being a kid waiting for the ice cream truck to drive down your street, which might explain why 68% say they peek out the window on the day they’re expecting a delivery.

The sense of anticipation is understandable, especially when most consumers (79%) say they feel a sense of ownership of an item before it’s even delivered to them.

Which States Have the Most Delayed Deliveries?

Delivery delays have been common throughout the country throughout the last year due to the pandemic. But which states have seen the most delayed deliveries? We analyzed more than 200 search terms related to delayed deliveries in every state to find out which states have been searching the most for delays.

Overall, rural states with smaller populations topped our list, including Vermont (No. 1), Delaware (No. 2), Rhode Island (No. 3), Alaska (No. 4) and New Hampshire (No. 5). Residents in states like Florida (No. 50), Ohio (No. 49), Texas (No. 48), Michigan (No. 47) and Indiana (No. 46) have been searching for delayed deliveries the least, according to our analysis.

As technology and shipping methods continue to advance, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for delivery tracking and how it will benefit both consumers and companies across the country.

Methodology

For this report, we surveyed more than 2,000 self-reporting online consumers. 63% were male and 37% were female with an average age of 35. In order to find out which states have been searching the most for delivery delays, we analyzed more than 200 search terms related to “delivery delayed” and keyword variations. Results were ranked per capita.

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