Primary Audience: West Midlands DTC founder
Summary: Delivery costs are rising and customers are feeling it; the fix is clearer checkout choices and dispatch discipline, not blaming couriers.
Suggested Posting Day: Wednesday
If your conversion rate drops when you add a fiver for delivery, it’s not “the market”.
It’s your checkout.
I’m seeing more West Midlands brands get squeezed from both ends right now: couriers getting pricier, and customers getting less patient.
Parcel2Go highlighted that 84% of ecommerce businesses have seen last‑mile costs rise, and 39% saw increases of more than 10% in the last year.
That doesn’t mean you slap a flat £5.99 shipping fee on everything and hope for the best.
Mini-example from the depot floor:
A small DTC brand moved from “free delivery” to a single paid option. Conversion dipped, customer service lit up, and returns crept up because people felt stitched up on value.
We rebuilt the options: a slower cheaper service, a faster tracked service, and a clear dispatch cut‑off. Same products. Same carriers. Better basket completion.
Practical takeaway:
Treat delivery like a product line. Price it properly, explain it plainly, and make sure your dispatch process actually hits the promise you’re making.
How are you presenting delivery at checkout right now: one option, or a proper choice?
Source Notes:
- Parcel2Go summary of UK shipping cost pressures (published 7 April 2026): https://www.parcel2go.com/content-hub/shipping-cost-pressures-uk-ecommerce
- DS Smith 2025 stats referenced in that article (84% rising last-mile costs; 39% >10% increase): as cited by Parcel2Go above