Parcel purgatory: half of UK shoppers spend 32 hours a year stuck waiting for deliveries

New research from the global post-purchase and returns network ZigZag has found forty-three percent of UK consumers take time off work or rearrange their day to wait for a delivery each month, amounting to approximately 32 hours of lost time annually, or four full working days. Of these orders, 22% either arrive late or don’t arrive at all. 

The findings reveal consumers are being left in “parcel purgatory”, as uncertain delivery windows, late parcels, and poor communication after checkout force shoppers to plan their working days around online orders. 1 in 10 UK shoppers were unable to work while waiting for a delivery in the last month, wasting an estimated £214.5m worth of working hours*. The average time spent waiting for a delivery is 11% longer than the average UK consumer spends speaking with customer service lines (New Britain, 2025). 

The report also uncovered issues with post-purchase communications affecting a significant proportion of orders made online in the UK. Communication was found to fall short of expectations for 1 in 5 online orders (21%), representing an estimated £23.5 billion worth of purchases. The consequences for retailers are significant: 62% of consumers stated that they would stop shopping with a retailer after a poor delivery experience, rising to 64% after a poor returns experience. 

Al Gerrie, CEO at ZigZag, said: “Ecommerce has reached an inflection point, where growth has slowed and attracting new customers is more costly than maintaining a loyal customer base. In this environment, the biggest battleground for retailers comes after the point of purchase. Waiting in for a delivery is up there with the most frustrating disruptions to daily life and consumers are now spending longer waiting for parcels than they do dealing with customer service lines. Late deliveries also lead to higher return rates, which drive up costs for businesses and breed frustrations that retailers can’t afford.

"With shoppers cautious about spending, making a positive impression once an item has been bought is the difference between losing a customer at the final hurdle, and building the loyalty needed for growth.”

Expectations are especially high when things go wrong. Ninety-five percent of consumers expect delivery or returns issues to be flagged within 24 hours, while 42% prefer instant refunds. The research suggests that shoppers are becoming less tolerant of uncertainty after purchase, particularly as household budgets remain under pressure with 36% of UK adults expecting to be worse off in 2026 (YouGov, 2026).

The research divided consumers into five cohorts based on their demographics and preferences - Convenience Maximisers (primarily Millennials), Confidence Seekers (Gen X), Self-Reliant Browsers (Gen Z), Functional Pragmatists (Millennials and Gen X) and Certainty Planners (Baby Boomers).

Millennials broadly value convenience (70%) above all factors and make the largest proportion of online orders (23%). Baby Boomers prioritise predictability, transparency and reassurance while Gen Z is less tolerant to communications that aren’t immediately relevant. 

Gerrie continued: “It has never been more important to know how your customer base behaves as a retailer. This doesn’t come down to guesswork, our report has found identifiable patterns among types of consumer. Millennials and Gen Z shoppers have starkly different requirements for how they prefer to be contacted, but many retailers will have both groups in their customer base. Understanding what they’re buying in that moment adds another competitive advantage. High rates of next-day deliveries prove the item is urgent, and require more proactive tracking updates whereas more routine purchases require convenient and easy ways of getting in touch with fewer updates. And understanding these nuances is vital to lifting loyalty and growing revenue.”

Download the latest post-purchase experience research from ZigZag

So, we, alongside, Retail Economics wanted to put some data behind our belief that post-purchase experiences are becoming one of the most powerful drivers of customer loyalty, profitability, and competitive advantage.

The report’s findings are a wake-up call. When 60% of shoppers refuse to shop again with a retailer after a poor delivery or returns experience, it’s clear after checkout is the new battleground in ecommerce. There’s plenty more brilliant statistics to review in the report.

Make sure you get your copy today!

Methodology 

This report is based on independent modelling and analysis by Retail Economics. It draws on a nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK consumers in May 2026. The analysis is supported by proprietary sales data from Retail Economics.

*Calculation for estimate:

• Average time 'unable to work' = 2.7 hours (assumption: the time waiting among those who selected multiple impacts for survey Q16 is spread evenly)
• Number of workers impacted = 3.4 million (ONS, 2026)
• Working hours lost = 9.3 hours
• Average gross hourly wage = £23.06 (source: ONS ASHE)
• Cost = £214.5 million