| ebb logistics |
Parcel Insight |
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Customer Experience & Delivery
First-time buyers are willing to take a chance on your brand. However, they need proof before they hand over a payment. Increasingly, that proof lives in your shipping experience. |
| 72% |
of online shoppers bought from an unfamiliar brand in the last three months, according to Bizrate Insights. |
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What the Report Reveals
Bizrate Insights recently published its State of New-to-Brand Buyer Trust report. In short, shoppers will try unknown brands, yet they refuse to buy blindly. Instead, they look for clear proof before checkout.
That proof takes several forms. Reviews, transparent shipping costs, trusted payment options, refund policies, and human support all shape buyer confidence. Furthermore, marketplaces and search engines now drive roughly half of new brand discovery.
For parcel shippers, the message is direct. Delivery is now part of the trust equation. As a result, your shipping strategy influences conversion, margin, and repeat purchase behavior all at once. |
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Why Small First Orders Change the Parcel Math
New buyers are open, but cautious. In fact, more than half of first-time buyers kept their initial order under fifty dollars. Clearly, shoppers test unfamiliar brands with lower-risk purchases first.
| Most first orders stay under $50 |
Consequently, that behavior carries real parcel implications. Smaller first orders often produce weaker shipping economics. Minimum charges, residential fees, fuel, delivery area surcharges, and returns can quietly compress margin. Therefore, if shipping costs are not modeled carefully, your acquisition orders can turn unprofitable before the customer ever comes back. |
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Where New Buyers Discover Brands
Discovery shapes expectations. Notably, shoppers were seven times more likely to discover a new brand on a marketplace than through an influencer.
Together, marketplaces and search engines create high-intent demand. Moreover, that demand raises operational expectations. Marketplace shoppers want clear delivery dates, low-friction tracking, and reliable returns. Because of that, brands must align their fulfillment promises with real carrier performance. |
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The Trust Signals That Drive Checkout
Trust signals connect directly to shipping. Specifically, shoppers named the following as requirements before buying from an unfamiliar store. |
| 52%
will not buy without customer reviews |
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| 48%
need clear, upfront shipping costs |
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| 44%
expect trusted payment options |
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| 39%
want a clear refund policy |
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This matters because parcel experience shows up in reviews. In practice, late deliveries, damaged packages, unclear tracking, and clumsy returns all weaken trust. Even a great product can lose the customer after fulfillment fails. |
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When Returns Outweigh Ratings
Here is the finding that should stop every parcel shipper. In one comparison, most shoppers chose a store with fewer reviews, a lower rating, and a longer delivery window. Remarkably, the deciding factor was a stronger refund policy. |
| 54% |
chose the weaker-rated store because the return policy felt safer. |
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Return policy, then, is not only a customer service decision. Rather, it is a conversion tool. Still, it only works when it is supported by cost control, carrier rules, and thoughtful reverse logistics design. |
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What This Means for Parcel Shippers
Ultimately, parcel shippers should treat buyer trust as an operating metric. It belongs right beside cost per package, service performance, and claims recovery. Here is where to focus.
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Make shipping transparent. Unclear costs pushed 26% of shoppers away, while vague delivery timing concerned another 20%. Therefore, checkout should show realistic costs and delivery windows tied to actual carrier performance by zone, service, and package profile. |
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Control first-order economics. Because many new buyers start small, minimum charges and accessorial fees weigh more heavily. As a result, clean cost modeling should come before you launch free shipping or low-threshold offers. |
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Give returns executive attention. A friendly refund policy lifts conversion, yet uncontrolled returns erode margin. Consequently, shippers need clear return rules, smarter labels, inspection processes, and deliberate carrier selection. |
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Keep humans in the loop. Notably, 63% of shoppers preferred human support over an exact delivery date backed only by AI. Automation still helps, but it must escalate quickly when delivery issues arise. |
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Build carrier flexibility. Finally, brands need options across national, postal, regional, and final-mile networks. A single-carrier model limits both cost control and service recovery. |
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Key Takeaways
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72% of shoppers bought from an unfamiliar brand recently. |
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Most first orders stay under fifty dollars. |
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Marketplaces and search engines drive most new discovery. |
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Reviews and clear shipping costs are top trust signals. |
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A strong return policy can outweigh higher ratings. |
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Delivery promises must match carrier reality. |
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How ebb Logistics Can Help
At ebb Logistics, we help parcel shippers turn delivery performance into business leverage. First, we analyze shipping spend, carrier agreements, accessorial exposure, service performance, and return costs. Then we pinpoint where parcel operations create margin risk or customer friction.
In addition, we help shippers benchmark carrier pricing and negotiate stronger terms. That includes base rates, minimums, fuel, residential fees, delivery area charges, and peak surcharges.
For ecommerce brands specifically, we connect shipping strategy to customer experience. In other words, we evaluate free shipping thresholds, service mix, delivery promises, and returns workflows. The goal is simple. Protect margin, improve delivery confidence, reduce surprises, and strengthen customer trust. |
| Talk With a Parcel Consultant |
Ready to make delivery your competitive edge? Let us take a look at your parcel program. |
Source: Bizrate Insights, State of New-to-Brand Buyer Trust report.
View the full report.
ebb Logistics helps shippers protect margin, improve delivery confidence, and strengthen customer trust across national, regional, postal, and final-mile networks.
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