What US shoppers told a 2026 survey they now expect from delivery and returns
A survey of 1,160 US online shoppers fielded in March 2026 found 64 percent saying they use AI assisted shopping tools and 39 percent saying they expect delivery within one to two days. Seventy one percent said shipping fees they had not anticipated made them abandon items in a cart. These are stated preferences, not measured behaviour.
- 1,160 US Online Shoppers Surveyed, Fielded March 2026
- 64% Of Those Surveyed Said They Use AI Assisted Shopping Tools
- 39% Said They Anticipate An Order Arriving Inside One To Two Days
Read this as what a retailer's board is being asked to fund, not as throughput. It is a stated preference survey, so the figures set the direction a fulfillment promise is designed and priced against, and nothing in it counts a parcel. Two lines matter most for a supplier. Shoppers said shipping fees they had not expected left items sitting in a cart, which turns landed cost per order at the moment the promise is displayed into a revenue argument rather than a dock level one, and it belongs in front of the commercial team as much as operations. On returns, the shoppers who said a returns experience stopped them buying again pointed at the cost of sending an item back, and they described wanting store and mail options available together rather than being asked to choose. That signal is additive, so a supplier carrying only one returns channel answers half the question and should name a partner for the other half before a buyer asks.