# 2025 Mystery Shopping Report: ### Are U.S. E-Commerce Brands Delivering on Consumer Expectations? ## At A Glance This report is the culmination of more than 250+ E-COMMERCE TRANSACTIONS from the most in-demand U.S. brands across four key product categories: - Apparel & Accessories - Beauty & Personal Care - Nutrition & Supplements - Food & Beverage ### Pre-purchase 95% of brands had readily available inventory. A contributing factor to this performance is the deliberate build-up of larger stockpiles in response to ongoing trade policy uncertainty and the accelerating shift to domestic fulfillment. 93% of e-commerce brands do not send abandoned cart reminders even though 84% of consumers report abandoning carts. If even just a small percentage of those abandoned carts were recovered through reminders, a brand could earn thousands in incremental monthly revenue. ### Post-purchase Communication 56% of consumers prefer receiving order updates and tracking information via SMS, however, only 12% of brands are meeting this baseline expectation. 6% of brands do not provide real-time order tracking information despite it being ranked as a highly essential post-purchase feature. ### Shipping and Delivery 58% of consumers want estimated delivery dates but only 1% of brands provide them. Even when a brand’s product quality and its broader shopping experience is strong, uncertainty around delivery timelines can lead to abandoned carts. 14% of brands failed to fulfill their stated delivery promises, largely missing the mark by 7 days on average. These brands are highly at risk of losing ground to competitors that set realistic, prime-like expectations and consistently deliver against them. ### Unboxing 12% of the products arrived damaged. Further investigation shows that the issues originated prior to shipping, either during manufacturing, handling at the fulfillment center, or in the use of inadequate protective materials inside otherwise sturdy boxes. Only 36% of brands included samples or inserts, even though they are among the top drivers of a memorable unboxing experience. ### Reverse Logistics 12% of brands had no returns policy. This lack of clarity introduces friction and hesitation, particularly when the brand is unfamiliar or the purchase value is high. 10% of brands imposed restocking fees costing $5 or up to 25% of the item’s price. These brands risk losing customers to those that treat returns as an extension of their value proposition. ## Executive Summary This report presents the findings of a comprehensive mystery shopping study conducted by Stord that evaluates the end-to-end e-commerce experience of leading U.S. brands across four major industries: Nutrition & Supplements, Apparel & Accessories, Beauty & Personal Care, and Food & Beverage. The study assessed performance across the critical elements of the buying journey to benchmark how effectively brands are keeping pace with rising consumer expectations. Our mystery shopping results point to a consistent imbalance across industries. Brands have invested heavily in digital storefronts, product storytelling, and customer acquisition, but their operational foundations have not kept pace. Many still fall short in meeting even the most basic customer expectations when it comes to fulfillment and the post-purchase experience. While the severity differs by category, what emerges is a consistent trend: most brands are not meeting the rising baseline of delivery speed, transparency, reliability, and personalization that defines consumer trust today. ## Introduction E-commerce has shifted beyond being an additional retail convenience for digital savvy customers. It is now the default for a growing share of consumer purchases. In 2024, global online retail reached a staggering $6 trillion. With U.S. sales accounting for more than 20% of that total, forecasts show no signs of slowing down with U.S. e-commerce sales alone projected to exceed $1.6 trillion by 2027. While recent pandemics, wars, and trade policies may influence the accuracy of these forecasts, each of these disruptions has ultimately led to more adoption of e-commerce shopping. As digital transactions become increasingly embedded in everyday life, the standards consumers apply to delivery speed, reliability, and communication have sharpened. Many shoppers view anything longer than same-day or next-day delivery as suboptimal. As a result, e-commerce businesses across all verticals now face heightened pressure to meet accelerated delivery expectations, prompting a renewed focus on fulfillment operations as a core driver of customer satisfaction and long-term loyalty. Stord is The Consumer Experience Company, powering seamless checkout through delivery and returns for today's leading brands. By combining comprehensive commerce enablement technology with high-volume fulfillment services, Stord provides a platform for brands of all sizes to compete with retail giants. To better understand how brands are adapting to these elevated consumer expectations and how they can close the gap, Stord conducted a comprehensive mystery shopping study. The evaluation covered the end-to-end consumer experience across multiple brands and industries with a particular focus on the 5 key stages of the customer buying journey: (1) pre-purchase, (2) post-purchase communication, (3) shipping and delivery, (4) unboxing, and (5) reverse logistics. This report offers a detailed, data-backed look into how brands are performing on critical delivery metrics, where gaps exist, and what steps are most urgent to meet the new standards of fulfillment and delivery. ## Objectives Stord recognizes that fulfillment and delivery are core value drivers that directly impact conversion, retention, and unit economics. With this in mind, the primary objective of this mystery shopping study was to evaluate the end-to-end performance of leading industry brands, with a focus on operational performance and customer experience across five key stages of the customer buying journey: 1. **Pre-purchase**: Determine the extent to which brands provide clear and accurate visibility into product availability and assess the presence of cart recovery strategies. 2. **Post-purchase Communication**: Assess the channel consistency and clarity of order confirmation emails and shipping information provided throughout the delivery process. 3. **Shipping and Delivery**: Compare shipping costs against delivery speed, while assessing a brand’s reliability in meeting stated delivery expectations. 4. **Unboxing**: Evaluate the overall unboxing experience by documenting any damage or handling issues to product and packaging, while also assessing branding, personalization, and included extras. 5. **Reverse Logistics**: Review the clarity of stated return promises by reviewing policies for indicators such as free returns, restocking fees, or vague and missing terms. ## Mystery Shopping Methodology The mystery shopping exercise was conducted across three operational periods: Q3 2024 and Q1 to Q2 2025. To ensure a geographically representative assessment, orders for each brand were placed for delivery to three regions across the U.S.: the West Coast, Central, and East Coast, represented by California, Texas, and Georgia, respectively. Mystery shopping provides a clear view of how brands perform in real-world interactions. However, to assess how effectively e-commerce brands deliver on their stated promises, it is essential to first understand what consumers expect from their online shopping experiences. Stord conducted a dedicated consumer survey to capture these expectations and offer benchmarks against the mystery shopping results. ### Key Insights from the Consumer Survey 1. **Most Carts Are Abandoned, but They Can Be Won Back**: Abandoned carts are common, and nearly 3 in 4 survey respondents reported having received reminder emails, with almost half finding these messages compelling enough to return and complete the purchase. 2. **Instant and Real-Time Order Tracking Is Non-Negotiable**: A majority of consumers expect real-time tracking information and prefer to receive updates through multiple channels. 3. **Shoppers Want Flexible Shipping Options**: Free shipping remains a powerful expectation, with many respondents willing to add additional items to their cart to qualify for free shipping. 4. **Clear, Accurate Delivery Dates Matter Most to Consumers**: Consumers highly value reliable and predictable delivery, indicating that packages arriving later than promised can negatively influence their perception of a brand. 5. **Tangible Experiences Can Influence Overall Brand Perception**: The unboxing moment is an opportunity to deepen consumer connection and loyalty. 6. **Fair and Transparent Return Policies Build Trust**: Brands that employ affordable return policies, such as free returns or nominal fees, were perceived as fairer, resulting in a significantly improved trust in the brand. ## The Current State of E-Commerce ### Inventory Availability Stord’s Mystery Shopping results showed consistently strong inventory performance across e-commerce brands, with 95% of products in stock. This high level of availability indicates that brands are proactively safeguarding against lost sales. ### Abandoned Cart Reminders 93% of brands do not send abandoned cart reminders, despite 84% of consumers reporting cart abandonment. This represents a clear opportunity for improvement and revenue recovery. ### Post-Purchase Communication Stord’s Mystery Shopping study revealed that while most e-commerce brands provide updates, gaps exist in how these updates are delivered compared to consumer preferences. Formats such as SMS provide immediacy that email lacks. ### The Delivery Promise Only 1% of e-commerce brands provide customers with clear estimated delivery dates, while 58% of shoppers want specific delivery dates before purchasing. ### The Costs of Fulfillment Free shipping is offered by only 12% of brands without a minimum purchase requirement, while consumers are likely to expect free shipping under $40. Consumers value speed but are reluctant to pay for it, making the trade-off between cost and delivery speed critical. ### Delivery Promise vs Actual Performance Findings showed that only 34% of orders were delivered as promised, stressing the importance of setting realistic delivery expectations. ### Product & Packaging Integrity 12% of products arrived damaged. This highlights the need for quality control and proper packaging strategies to safeguard consumer trust. ### Branded & Personalized Unboxing Experiences Stord’s Mystery Shopping results revealed that only 56% of brands leverage branded packaging. However, personalized unboxing experiences are crucial in driving consumer loyalty. ### Reverse Logistics 62% of brands published a clear return policy, but some left theirs vague or had none at all, creating friction for consumers. ## Closing the Gaps in Consumer Experience Successfully addressing consumer expectations requires creativity in customer engagement, operational capabilities, and an integrated fulfillment network. Brands that quickly align customer expectations with what their operations can deliver will set the new standard for e-commerce.