The rising demand for Delivery Experience
Carriers are evaluating competitive advantages for their businesses, and delivery experience (DX) is one area that’s ripe for improvement. Complaints about late and missed deliveries, damaged goods, and poor communication are a dime a dozen from unhappy customers – creating an opportunity to stand out against competitors simply by meeting customer expectations.
As sortation, fulfillment, warehouse, and route optimization are incrementally adopted by carriers, the preparation for these initiatives is also laying the groundwork for improved DX.
DX requires your systems and data to be up to date, connected, and accurate. Having this in place enables the next level of customer service, including:
- Accurate and real-time ETAs
- Allowing customers to pick and change their delivery time or address
- Same day or next day delivery
- Dynamic re-routing for missed deliveries
- Better live chat and customer service experience
DX includes more than organising and completing the delivery. The “post-purchase experience” includes confirmation communications, delivery dispute processes, returns, and customer feedback collection and is just as important as the delivery itself.
In fact, 90% of consumers stress that it’s as important as the quality of the product being delivered and 86% say it influences their decision to repeat a purchase (source.)
So what are couriers doing in 2025 to improve their DX?
To find out, Adiona collected real step-by-step customer journeys on major couriers including StarTrack Courier, DHL, Australia Post, ANC, Couriers Please, and smaller providers. We also interviewed experts from Australia Post and StarTrack Courier who are overhauling their DX programs, and have a summary of tips for implementing technology for DX outcomes.
What constitutes a “premium” Delivery Experience?
The bare-minimum expectation of a delivery is simply for it to arrive, undamaged. That expectation is missed on a regular basis, often out of the control of the last-mile carrier. When the bar is so basic, what does that mean for “premium” expectations?
For same-day delivery:
Christopher Cano, National Business Improvement and Implementation Manager for StarTrack Courier, Australia Post’s same-day delivery service, says different delivery services will have different definitions of “premium”.
For StarTrack Courier, which focuses on business-to-business same-day delivery, Chris says “it’s a bit unique from the rest of Australia Post, because the customer is ordering something today and getting it today. Our customers want things as soon as possible.
“For us, meeting expectations is delivering by the ETA, but if we deliver two hours earlier that’s not really exceeding expectations because the customer is still expecting it on the same day. So for a premium experience we look at things like tracking notifications, how to make it as seamless as possible for the customer, and the interaction with the driver. That’s what makes or breaks the delivery experience.”
Sounds easy, why is it so hard?
The concept of a delivery arriving where a customer wants, at the time they want it, sounds easy. It’s anything but.
B2B deliveries are complex with many moving parts:
- Loading dock locations may not match the street address
- Loading zones and street parking availability and restrictions
- Tight delivery windows
- Less flexibility for re-delivery attempts
- Deliveries are often bulkier
- Business customers are more likely to be in high density metro areas with more complex routing and traffic variables
Logistics businesses also face digitisation and data challenges. As logistics is a long-standing industry, many organisations have been in operation for decades, meaning their systems and processes may not be the most efficient with the latest technology implemented.
Implementing a premium DX requires an organisation’s data to be clean, up-to-date, accessible, and integrated into relevant systems like connecting the live GPS data of the vehicle to the text messaging system that gives customers an update on when to expect their delivery.
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DX can combat delivery scams
Having a robust and transparent DX can give assurances to delivery recipients that they’re not getting scammed.
Fake websites, convincing text messages, and even functional “customer service” phone numbers can all convince a recipient that they really are due for a delivery. If your brand is impersonated it can lead to reputational damage and diminishing trust.
Building a reputation for your DX processes and a well established communication process, such as ensuring all of your text message updates come from the same phone number, builds a defence against these scams.
Technology-driven DX: Real-time ETAs, customer notifications, and dynamic delivery windows
Technology is slowly enabling customers to control more and more elements of their delivery. From what day they want to receive it, to the time window, or changing the destination after placing the order, these are all things customers are asking if they can do.
The demand for this type of capability is growing, to the point where surveys are finding flexibility of delivery time a greater satisfaction driver than speed of delivery.
Chris Cano of StarTrack Courier says technology has driven the largest changes in delivery experience expectations over the past few years, “everybody wants that Uber-like experience with live tracking. If you don’t get any tracking at all, it’s a subpar experience.”
In saying that, he also believes that “customers are definitely more clued in than they were five years ago. Thanks to live tracking they know the difference between packing time and shipping time, so if they pay for express shipping but the tracking link says it hasn’t been picked up by the courier, they know it’s not the delivery driver’s fault that it didn’t arrive when they expected it to.”
Real-time ETAs and notifications
Real-time ETAs are alerts that give customers updates on when they can expect their deliveries. This ranges from letting them know which day it will arrive, down to what time they can expect it, and even notifications that say they’re the next stop the driver will be making.
Here are real examples of what Australian couriers are communicating with customers:
Via text message
- Australia Post gives a two hour delivery window, roughly three hours in advance
- Capital Transport confirms the day of delivery and then on the day of, confirms the delivery is on the way but does not give a precise ETA
- Mattress company Ecosa doesn’t disclose who does their deliveries, but gives an ETA 60 minutes in advance, with a request to reply if no one is available to receive the delivery
- StarTrack confirms the delivery will be made on the day, but does not give a time window
Text and phone call
- Statewide Logistics confirms a delivery is on its way, with the driver making a phone call closer to the delivery window
- StarTrack Courier drivers may call ahead to confirm if the recipient will be physically present if the delivery requires a signature, and re-route if the answer is no
Websites
Most couriers have a web page where recipients can enter a tracking number and view the latest status of their delivery. Some tracking pages offer more granular updates than others.
A 2025 Sapio Research report revealed that lack of information is the top cited frustration when making a purchase online. 40% of respondents cited “lack of accurate information of stock, pricing, delivery dates” as their top frustration when placing an order, and when asked what prevents them from completing a purchase, 29% said “lack of accurate information on delivery times.”
Chris Cano’s recommendation for managing expectations is strong communication. He notes that where there’s an impact to delivery times, StarTrack Courier sends notifications directly to the customer, posts a notification on its website, and informs drivers about it so they can pass on the latest information to customers. During peak periods, delivery volumes can rise by up to 700%, and that rise can happen as suddenly as overnight for StarTrack Courier.
“Whether you're a small, medium, or large business, it's about having clarity up front in your shopping cart to say, ‘we're a small business. I work by myself. Orders generally take three to four days to pack. And if it's going to take longer than that, I'll reach out.’ That communication and clarity builds trust and a positive experience even if the packing is slow.
“During peak periods, we will onboard more drivers and try to process things more efficiently, but at the end of the day if you don't communicate it, the customers don't know.”
Drivers’ influence on the delivery experience
Unless you’re managing a fleet of drones, deliveries are still a human-to-human exchange.
“They’re the first person the customer sees, and the last part of their delivery process,” says Chris Cano, “so customer service is obviously at the forefront.”
Chris explains that StarTrack Courier maintains its own team of drivers who, as same-day delivery drivers, are expected to offer a higher level of service. StarTrack Courier sends their customers feedback forms which include a question about the driver’s performance. They track this score month-on-month to measure service quality.
Performance metrics and KPIs to track for Delivery Experience
Measuring experience is tough. An experience is inherently subjective, and people are more likely to leave feedback when they’ve had a negative experience, which can skew results. Even if a delivery is made on time and in full with no damage, a customer can still be frustrated by simple things such as tracking communications, a not-enthusiastic-enough driver, or signature requests.
Despite this, delivery experience is a worthwhile investment. Chris Cano walks us through the link between higher DIFOT and the ripple effect that has on other metrics:
“We’ve run tests and measured that a higher DIFOT improves overall operational efficiency. If the delivery isn’t made, then the driver has to keep it in their van, which increases fuel usage, which increases CO2 emissions. It then has to go back to a delivery centre, they have to re-sort it, it has to go out again the next day to be reattempted. You’ve got this whole flow-on effect if that delivery isn’t made.”
He says they’ve also measured lower rates of returns when a delivery is made in full and on time.
Case studies: A comparison of Australian last-mile delivery experiences in 2025
We collected a variety of delivery communication examples from big and small providers alike, including ANC, DAI, DHL, Statewide, MWS, StarShippit, MCM logistics, and more. Explore the collection via Miro:
How Adiona can help DX
Adiona's technology starts with route optimisation, but doesn't end there. Our underlying technology is an enablement vessle for many of the things discussed in this report, from setting yourself up for real-time ETAs to running simulations, switching to EVs for a quieter delivery, and freeing up your dispatch teams to work on more customer-centric projects.
Tap into our AI expertise and experience with improving customer satisfaction levels, implementing real-time ETAs, and reducing emissions.
Start your 14 day free trial of the Adiona platform, or contact us to discuss what you have in mind.