Shortening delivery times: the ultimate guide for online shops
11/21/2025
In the world of eCommerce, speed is no longer a luxury – it’s a crucial part of modern value chains and a true competitive advantage. Customers expect everything to be fast, smooth, and transparent. Long delivery times lead to abandoned carts, dissatisfied consumers, and declining delivery reliability. Precise, fast delivery, on the other hand, boosts your conversion rate, strengthens customer loyalty, and creates an outstanding delivery experience.
But how can you set up your shipping process so that orders are processed efficiently and delivery times are noticeably reduced – without sacrificing quality in production or supply chain management?
The answer lies in a holistic approach built on four strong pillars: internal processes, technology & data, strategic partnerships, and transparent communication.
This guide walks you step by step through proven measures to shorten delivery times – and shows how you can systematically reduce the time from the click in the online shop to final doorstep delivery. Whether you optimize workflows, implement just-in-time production, or use multi-warehousing: each of these solutions contributes to efficiency, delivery reliability, and delivery performance.
What exactly is delivery time (ODT)?
Before implementing optimizations, you need to understand what delivery time really means. Many companies only look at the transit time – the days a parcel carrier needs for shipping. But that’s only part of the equation.
The more meaningful metric is the Order-to-Delivery-Time (ODT) – the total time from placing the order in the shop to successful delivery to the consumer. This metric reflects the reality of your supply chain: every delay, every missing interface, every unclear responsibility.
Formula for ODT (simplified):
ODT ≈ Order-to-Ship-Time + Transit-Time
In practice, ODT also includes order intake, internal data processing, and routing decisions when multiple warehouses are involved.
Order-to-Ship-Time (OTS):
This is the biggest influencing factor. It describes the time from the order to handover to the carrier – including picking, packing, labelling, quality control, and keeping promised delivery dates. Small process gaps can easily cost hours.
Transit-Time:
The carrier’s shipping time until delivery. This phase is mostly externally controlled – making it even more important that your own logistics, delivery reliability, and delivery performance are perfectly aligned beforehand.
Practical tip:
Analyze your OTS time in real time. Small actions to shorten delivery times – such as optimized picking routes or automated label generation – often have more impact than expensive express services.
The 4 pillars of optimizing your eCommerce logistics
Shortening delivery times means rethinking the entire supply chain. Every component – from inbound goods to IT to customer communication – influences delivery performance. Think of your logistics as an orchestra: only when all parts work together in harmony does true delivery reliability emerge across the entire value chain.
Pillar 1: the warehouse as the heart – speeding up internal processes and shortening delivery times
Efficiency starts where products begin their journey to customers: in the warehouse. Whether you operate your own fulfillment center or work with a 3PL partner – every saved movement and every improved process saves valuable time and capital.
Reduce picking time
Picking is often the bottleneck in the warehouse. Analyze walking paths (e.g. spaghetti analysis) and position items based on sales frequency. An ABC analysis shows which products (A-items) should be most quickly accessible.
Enhance this with modern solutions like pick-by-light or pick-by-voice to reduce errors.
Even in production companies: every saved minute in the warehouse is a direct investment in delivery reliability and overall delivery performance.
Optimize cut-off times
The later your cut-off time, the more orders can ship the same day. A late cut-off (e.g. 4 p.m.) boosts delivery reliability and competitiveness. Prerequisites: perfectly synchronized workflows, automated approvals, and aligned carrier services. It is also important to mention that transport times and distances must be taken into account so that the goods can still be processed by the carrier in time.
Efficient inventory management
A precise warehouse management system (WMS) is the backbone of transparency and delivery reliability. It identifies bottlenecks, optimizes stock levels, and lowers storage costs.
A good WMS aligns physical stock with active orders and warns about potential delivery delays. Dynamic safety stocks and just-in-time production help reduce costs without risking service quality.
Cross-docking can also shorten supply chain processes – especially when goods arrive ready for sale and don’t require intermediate storage.
Pillar 2: technology & automation as drivers
Manual processes are the biggest challenge to delivery performance and supply chain efficiency. Technology is the accelerator that connects data, processes, and teams.
The right software combination
A WMS is the brain of your logistics and a core part of modern supply chains. It controls routes, picking, and inventory.
Through API-based integration between your shop system (e.g. Shopify or Shopware) and your ERP/WMS, orders and tracking data sync without delay.
This gives you full control over delivery processes, delivery performance, and adherence to delivery promises – across all sales channels.
Use predictive analytics
AI-powered forecasting brings transparency to your supply chain.
The system identifies seasonal peaks, distributes safety stock proactively, and plans resources in advance. This improves not only delivery performance but also delivery reliability.
Especially in supply chain management, data-driven decisions are the key to speed, precision, and long-term improvement.
Pillar 3: strategic partner & supplier management
No company grows in isolation. Strategic partnerships are essential for high delivery reliability and stable supply chains.
Multi-carrier strategy & cut-off times
One carrier is good – several are better. A multi-carrier strategy ensures delivery capability even during peak demand or delays.
Fulfillment platforms or shipping service providers let you compare carrier performance and delivery reliability centrally.
These solutions help select the optimal shipping partner for each parcel and significantly improve delivery performance.
The power of multi-warehousing
The strongest lever to shorten delivery times is multi-warehousing. Distribute your bestsellers across multiple warehouses – strategically located in your key markets.
This shortens the last mile, increases delivery reliability, and reduces storage costs.
Prerequisite: inventory, orders, and delivery processes must be systemically connected. A platform like everstox provides access to over 70 fulfillment locations with modern warehouse capacities in Germany, Europe, the UK, and the USA.
Foster supplier relations
Speed starts with your suppliers. Define clear SLAs, track performance data, and conduct regular feedback sessions for continuous improvement.
Transparent communication builds trust and reduces delivery delays.
Practical fulfillment strategy example
A sports nutrition retailer stores goods in Germany and the Netherlands.
Result: Transit time halved, delivery reliability increased, and delivery performance improved.
Pillar 4: transparent customer communication
Even the best logistics needs trust. Communication is the catalyst of your delivery experience – it makes performance visible.
Realistic delivery estimates
Customers value reliability. Show a concrete delivery date at checkout (“Delivery: next business day (Wed)”) – this creates transparency and trust.
Providing real-time carrier data at checkout strengthens delivery reliability and minimizes complaints.
Proactive notifications
Keep customers informed – automatically, proactively, and in real time. This avoids unnecessary inquiries and builds long-term loyalty.
Especially during delivery delays, early communication is key to maintaining trust.
Return speed
Fast returns processes directly influence customer satisfaction.
Automated workflows ensure quick restocking and improve delivery performance by reducing turnaround times.
Calculating ROI: how to measure the success of your optimization measures
Optimizations are only as strong as their metrics.
These four KPIs show how measures to shorten delivery times directly impact delivery reliability, delivery performance, and customer loyalty.
Conversion Rate (CR)
Shorter delivery times lead to higher purchase completion and improved delivery performance.
Reducing delivery from 3 to 2 days can increase your conversion rate by 10% – a noticeable boost to competitiveness.
Customer service quota
Fewer “Where is my order?” inquiries mean higher efficiency.
Companies that digitize their supply chain often reduce logistics-related tickets by 50%. This saves time and improves delivery reliability and service quality.
Avg. Ship Time (OTS)
A modern WMS accelerates picking and shipping control.
Example: OTS drops from 38 to 12 hours. This significantly improves delivery performance – delivery delays decrease, return rates fall, and meeting delivery dates becomes the standard.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
Fast deliveries build trust. Customers who receive their orders in two days instead of four show a 25% higher repurchase rate – a clear indicator of stronger customer loyalty.
Note: All values are for illustration. Results depend on industry, system landscape, and supply chain management.
Crisis-proof setup: risk management for a stable supply chain
Short delivery times are only an advantage if they remain reliable. Resilient supply chains ensure delivery reliability even in challenging phases.
- Diversify partners: multiple carriers and suppliers reduce risk.
- Decentralized warehousing: multiple fulfillment locations maintain delivery capability and performance even when certain areas face issues.
A strong supply chain management setup ensures that you remain reliable despite bottlenecks or external disruptions.
The human factor: why your culture matters
Technology and processes form the foundation – but people bring them to life.
A team that understands the importance of delivery reliability, communication, and continuous improvement turns logistics into a true competitive advantage.
Train your team, encourage feedback, and establish speed as part of your company culture.
Shorten delivery times with everstox
If you want to design your logistics to be international, flexible, and efficient, everstox is your partner.
With our Logistics-as-a-Service model, you gain intelligent solutions that connect supply chain and fulfillment – enabling measurable delivery performance and maximum delivery reliability.
- Multi-warehousing at strategically advantageous locations.
- Multi-carrier management for optimal carrier selection, improved delivery reliability, and transparent performance.
- Central platform technology that automates inventory, orders, and delivery processes – including track & trace, reporting, and order management.
This gives you more speed, more transparency – and strengthens your brand’s competitiveness.
Frequently asked questions
How can a small online shop ship faster?
How do I reduce picking time in the warehouse?
Is same-day delivery worth it for my shop?
What is the legal regulation for delivery times?
Which delivery date formulations are legally acceptable?
About the author
Anna Kraus
eCommerce and logistics expert
With over seven years of experience in online marketing, Anna is responsible for the content strategy and editorial development of the everstox website. Her work focuses on eCommerce, logistics, and supply chain management, translating complex operational topics into clear, relevant, and actionable insights.
Since joining everstox in 2024, Anna has taken full ownership of the company’s editorial content, including blog articles, in-depth industry pieces, and the complete everstox glossary. Her content connects current trends in eCommerce and logistics with the real-world challenges faced by growing brands, helping decision-makers navigate an increasingly complex operational landscape.
Anna holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Salzburg and earned a Master of Business Administration with a focus on health management from IU International University. Her master’s thesis on occupational health management reflects her analytical mindset and her interest in how integrated strategies can strengthen long-term business performance.
By combining academic rigor with hands-on marketing experience, Anna delivers content that goes beyond surface-level commentary. Her work offers readers a clear, well-informed perspective on the intersection of digital innovation, logistics, and supply chain operations, with a strong focus on practical relevance and strategic clarity.
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