From ‘next-day delivery’ to ‘delivery when it suits you’

Fast delivery has become the norm in Dutch e-commerce, but the fastest delivery is not always the most convenient for consumers. This is the central message of the white paper 'The best delivery day starts with the consumer ', published by the University of Groningen (UG), Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas) and PostNL. The publication brings together findings from academic research by the UG and BUas and consumer research conducted by PostNL.

Little choice at checkout

An analysis of 100 major Dutch online retailers by the University of Groningen shows that 76 of them give consumers little or no say over the day their order is delivered. This limited choice is at odds with what consumers want: in a survey commissioned by PostNL, 79% said they would like to choose their own delivery day. Among those with a preference, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are relatively popular.

In practice, however, parcels are often delivered early in the week. Many consumers place orders during the weekend, and these are typically processed as quickly as possible. So far in 2026, almost 38% of PostNL parcels have been sorted on a Monday or Tuesday and then delivered the following day. This early-week peak therefore appears to be driven more by ordering patterns and the emphasis on speed than by consumers’ actual preferences. The entire delivery chain works to get parcels to customers as quickly as possible, even when the delivery day does not fit their schedules. If no one is home when a parcel arrives, it may end up with a neighbour or at a collection point, or require a second delivery attempt. This can mean additional kilometres travelled and higher emissions.

Checkout design shapes delivery choices

When online retailers offer several delivery days, PostNL data show that 10% to 20% of consumers voluntarily choose a later date. But how the options are presented makes a considerable difference. In a field experiment at Dutch online retailer Soxs.co, conducted by the University of Groningen in collaboration with Wuunder, around 7% switched to a later option when no discount or additional information was provided. When the later delivery option was preselected, that figure rose to approximately 75%. Information and discounts had a smaller effect. Because default options can influence choices so strongly, transparency is essential. Consumers should be able to see clearly which delivery day has been preselected and should be able to change it easily.

Not everyone has to wait

Not every consumer needs to opt for later delivery to help reduce delivery peaks. A modelling study by the University of Groningen shows that allowing around a quarter of orders to be delivered up to three days later can be sufficient. This enables carriers to operate with the smallest possible fleet, while those orders arrive just one to two days later on average. This could contribute to more efficient and sustainable deliveries. It is essential, however, that the chosen delivery day can be met reliably, which requires close coordination between online retailers and logistics service providers.

The white paper The best delivery day starts with the consumer: How giving consumers a choice contributes to a better delivery day for consumers and supply chains was written by Sanne Wolf (Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen), Alinda Kokkinou (BUas) and Karsten Brüne (PostNL) and is available from today. Read the white paper.