In 2025, Customer Experience is confirmed as the real competitive terrain for eCommerce. This is what emerges from the Report Ecommerce Italia 2025 by Casaleggio Associati presented in recent weeks in Milan, an event in which we at GEL Proximity also had the pleasure of participating.
According to Casaleggio’s annual report, in fact, Italian customers are paying more and more attention to the quality of the post-purchase experience, in particular to the delivery methods and costs and the handling of returns, which are considered decisive elements in the choice of a brand.
Expectations are high: 24% of Italian customers expect next-day delivery, while 55% are not prepared to wait more than two days. At the same time, ease of returns emerges as a crucial aspect of customer satisfaction, especially for the over 45s.
Yet, despite the centrality of these aspects, only 6% of Italian eCommerce companies say they are fully satisfied with their delivery system. It is clear, therefore, that logistics is no longer just a technical aspect, but a real strategic point of contact with the customer.
The customer experience does not end at the checkout: slow deliveries, absent tracking or complex return policies can negate the effectiveness of the entire marketing strategy, compromising brand perception. This is why the most forward-looking companies are already investing in solutions that can concretely improve the post-purchase experience, making their logistics a distinctive and competitive element.
Fast, traceable and flexible deliveries: the new normal
Delivery times: what customers expect today
As anticipated, consumers are less and less willing to wait for an online order. 24% of Italians expect delivery within one day, while more than half (55%) want it within a maximum of two days.
In addition, free delivery turns out to be the prime driver of choice for purchasing, even more so than discounts and reviews.
The message is clear: what was once perceived as a plus has now become the norm, and customers expect fast delivery without surprises as a basic condition for completing an online purchase.
Lockers, pick-up points and Click & Collect: why they grow in popularity
To meet these expectations, 15% of Italian eCommerce companies have already started to invest in alternative delivery modes such as Locker, Pick-up Points and Click&Collect. Solutions that not only improve operational efficiency, but also respond to the growing need for autonomy and flexibility on the part of consumers. Not to mention the impact in terms of sustainability, thanks to the reduction of unnecessary ‘last mile’ trips.
Key metrics for measuring delivery effectiveness
In today’s environment, where the customer experience is increasingly crucial to an eCommerce’s success, monitoring the right KPIs is therefore crucial to optimise logistics performance and ensure fast and frictionless deliveries.
Among the most relevant indicators highlighted in the Report “From One to Zero clicks. How Customer Experience remains the key to success in Ecommerce especially in the age of Artificial Intelligence’ by Casaleggio Associati and Nebulab, three key metrics in particular stand out:
- Time to Checkout: the time it takes a user to complete a purchase from the moment they add a product to their shopping cart. Excessively long times can lead to frustration or abandonment, and are often due to complicated payment processes or unintuitive interfaces.
- Page Load Time: the average page load time of the site, a technical factor that has a direct impact on usability and the perceived efficiency of the brand. A delay of even a few seconds can compromise the user experience, especially from mobile, leading to an increased bounce rate.
- User Effort Score (UES) applied to logistics, which assesses the ‘perceived effort’ on the part of the user in completing delivery or return operations, such as choosing a pick-up point, tracking the shipment or the procedure for making a return. The simpler and more guided the process, the less effort required, thus increasing customer satisfaction.
Constantly monitoring and improving these metrics allows brands to identify bottlenecks, optimise workflows and, most importantly, deliver a smoother and more memorable experience, strengthening loyalty in the long run.
Simplified returns: from cost to strategic leverage
Besides delivery, the handling of returns also plays a central role in the customer experience. In particular, more mature consumers (especially the over 45s) tend to favour uncomplicated experiences.
To meet this need, some logistics operators have already introduced simplified solutions, such as the possibility of printing the return label directly online or having it included inside the parcel.
In many cases, the convenience of using Pick-up Points and Lockers spread across the territory is also offered, saving the user from having to deal with queues or complex travel. These solutions, in addition to significantly improving the after-sales customer experience, also have a direct impact on the repurchase rate, fuelling customer trust and loyalty.
According to the ‘One to Zero Clicks’ report, simple and intuitive design contributes to increasing the Net Promoter Score (NPS), i.e. the likelihood that a customer will recommend the brand to others; it improves the Customer Lifetime Value, by incentivising repeat purchases over time; and it increases the conversion rate, as it reduces purchase hesitations related to perceived risk.
In a world where time is the new currency, minimising the effort required from the user to handle shipments and returns is therefore essential.
Beyond logistics: when CX and brand meet
Increasingly, deliveries and returns become a concrete extension of brand values: sustainable packaging, clear communication, attention to CO₂ and transparency in policies are all levers that influence user perception.
It is no longer enough to ‘just work’: today, logistics tell the story of who you are as a company. It is only by turning these steps into simple, smooth and memorable experiences that a brand can consolidate trust and build lasting relationships.
And you, are you offering your customers a delivery experience that matches your brand?
With the solutions offered by GEL Proximity you can turn every delivery and return into a moment of value, leveraging our Network of more than 300,000 Lockers and Pick-up Points already in place to make every step of your customers’ customer journey truly memorable.
You can connect GEL Proximity using our dedicated libraries and APIs, or by downloading the module from the marketplace of your eCommerce software.
