Delivery performance KPIs: 13 metrics to optimise the last-mile

Warehouse operations can run like clockwork and shipping costs can stay within budget, yet customers still judge a brand on what happens next. The delivery experience is where expectations are either met or broken, and it tends to leave the strongest impression. 

Late or missed deliveries, confusing tracking updates, and parcels that arrive damaged are the moments customers remember and talk about long after checkout.

Delivery performance KPI tracking sits in a different space from other logistics metrics:

• Shipping KPIs are focused on cost control, carrier mix, and high-level efficiency. 
• Warehouse KPIs look inward at fulfilment speed, picking accuracy, and capacity. 
• Delivery KPIs focus on the last mile itself, measuring reliability, communication quality, and customer experience once the parcel leaves the warehouse.

This guide breaks down the most important delivery performance KPIs, how to calculate them, and how to use them to boost loyalty and repeat purchases. Readers looking for broader cost and efficiency metrics may want to start with our Shipping KPIs guide before diving deeper into last-mile delivery performance.

Table of contents

• What are delivery KPIs?
• The benefits of tracking delivery KPIs
• Delivery KPIs focused on speed and reliability
  • Delivery promise accuracy
  • Average delivery time (door-to-door)
  • First-attempt delivery success rate
  • Failed delivery / carded delivery rate
• Delivery KPIs focused on quality and issues
  • Damage on delivery rate
  • Lost parcel rate/delivery exception rate
  • Delivery-related return rate
• Delivery KPIs focused on communication and customer experience
  • Delivery CSAT or post-delivery survey score
  • Delivery-related contact rate
  • ​Tracking engagement rate
  • ​Delivery review rating
• Delivery KPIs focused on choice and flexibility
  • Delivery option mix
  • Uptake of eco / low-emissions delivery options
• Next steps: Turning delivery KPIs into action with automation

Delivery KPIs are designed with a deliberately narrow focus, and tracking usually starts once an order is transferred to a carrier or last-mile partner.

Tracking ends once the customer receives the parcel and forms an opinion about the delivery experience. Everything that happens in between, delays, updates, handoffs, and condition on arrival, shapes how the brand is judged.

Shipping KPIs typically operate at a higher level of the operation, reflecting overall performance rather than individual execution details. 

Metrics like cost per shipment, carrier mix, and broad on-time shipment rates help teams manage spend and efficiency across the network. Warehouse KPIs look inward, focusing on pick rates, order accuracy, throughput, and inventory availability, with each category playing a different role.

Delivery KPIs, on the other hand, concentrate on the customer-facing outcome. Common examples include on-time delivery against the promised date and first-attempt delivery success.

These KPIs include tracking clarity, the condition of the parcel upon arrival, and delivery satisfaction scores. These KPIs for delivery performance translate backend execution into the actual customer experience.

Expectations have shifted: while same-day delivery options, tight ETAs, and real-time tracking have raised expectations, the tolerance for poor delivery continues to decrease, even when the product itself meets expectations.

Delivery performance KPI tracking is the bridge between operational execution and customer perception, connecting logistics decisions directly to loyalty and repeat-purchase behaviour.

The benefits of tracking delivery KPIs

Delivery performance KPIs give you visibility into what customers actually experience after an order leaves the warehouse. Numbers tied to the last mile help explain why support tickets spike, reviews dip, or repeat orders slow down, even when fulfilment and shipping metrics look fine. 

Tracking these KPIs shifts delivery from a blind spot into a measurable part of the customer journey.

Monitoring the first-attempt delivery success rate and failed delivery rate helps expose where money leaks out. Fixing mistakes, unclear instructions, and poor communication about delivery often means trying again repeatedly.

Delivery performance KPI tracking highlights these patterns early, allowing teams to identify root causes rather than absorb re-delivery costs as part of “normal” operations. Margin protection starts with understanding where deliveries fall over.

Protect brand trust when things go wrong

Customers rarely distinguish between the retailer and the carrier. When a parcel arrives late or tracking goes quiet, frustration lands with the brand that took the order. Recent surveys show most shoppers now blame retailers, even when issues originate with the delivery provider.

KPIs for delivery performance reveal where promises are slipping or communication breaks down. On-time delivery against promise, exception rates, and contact volume point to gaps in ETAs and updates.

Proactive notifications and realistic delivery windows reduce surprises, while delivery KPIs act as an early signal that trust is starting to erode.

Tracking delivery performance KPIs connects last-mile outcomes to lifetime value. Improvements in reliability and communication tend to lift repeat purchase rates and sentiment, turning delivery from a cost centre into a loyalty driver rather than a hidden risk.

Delivery KPIs focused on speed and reliability

Clear reporting starts with clean data: many retailers separate delivery performance KPI reports by domestic and international orders, then split again by service level, such as standard or express. That structure keeps comparisons fair and highlights where delays or failures actually occur.

Broken promises tend to frustrate customers more than a small difference in speed. An order promised in two days that arrives in three usually feels worse than one promised in three days that arrives on time.

The calculation is straightforward: divide the number of orders delivered by the promised date by the total number of orders, then multiply by 100.

If 95 out of 100 orders arrive as promised, delivery promise accuracy sits at 95%. Top-performing retailers often aim to maintain delivery promise accuracy at or above the 95% threshold.

Improvement usually starts at checkout, so promises should reflect actual carrier performance, not general marketing ambition. Regional differences matter, as do service types and seasonal peaks.

Starshipit tip: Starshipit helps here by using carrier performance data and transit time insights to surface realistic delivery dates, keeping delivery performance KPI reporting aligned with what customers actually experience.

Average delivery time (door-to-door)

Average delivery time focuses strictly on the carrier window, measured from pickup to final delivery. Fulfilment and warehouse processing sit outside this KPI and belong in other reports.

Segmenting average delivery time by country, region, and service level often reveals useful patterns.

Standard delivery might perform well domestically, while international lanes show a bit more variation. Express services may deliver consistent speed in metro areas and slower results in remote regions. These insights guide how delivery options appear at checkout.

Faster lanes can justify premium pricing, while slower lanes may benefit from clearer expectations. Tracking this KPI for delivery performance helps balance speed, cost, and overall customer satisfaction.

Some of the more common causes include address errors, signature requirements when recipients are unavailable, and poor delivery visibility. Starshipit ensures incorrect addresses don’t slip through the cracks using automated address validation at checkout and proactive delivery notifications that prepare customers for the driver's arrival.

Failed delivery / carded delivery rate

Failed or carded delivery rate tracks parcels that unfortunately cannot be delivered on the first attempt. Some typical examples include missed deliveries, access issues, or cards left for collection at the depot.

High rates signal frustration for customers and rising costs for retailers. Better address capture, clearer delivery instructions, and alternative delivery options, such as pickup points, often reduce these failures and stabilise last-mile performance.

Delivery KPIs focused on quality and issues

While speed and reliability are important factors to keep in mind, the quality of delivery often shapes customers' memories of the experience. Damaged, missing, or returned parcels can lead to cost, frustration, and long-term trust issues, all of which are directly related to the last-mile delivery process.

Perception matters just as much as cost since customers often assume damage reflects poor care, regardless of where it occurred. Improving this stage means focusing on packaging choices and last-mile handling rather than warehouse picking. 

Utilising right-sized boxes, adequate cushioning, and packaging designed for carrier networks tends to reduce incidents and stabilise delivery performance KPI results over time.

Lost parcel rate / delivery exception rate

Lost parcel rate tracks shipments that never reach the customer due to loss, theft, or unresolved exceptions. Delivery exception rate broadens that view to include parcels stuck in abnormal states, such as repeated delays or customs holds.

Financial impact adds up quickly through refunds, reships, and claims. Trust takes an even bigger hit when customers feel left in the dark. Tracking this KPI for delivery performance helps identify risky lanes and underperforming carriers or address quality issues. 

Many teams feed these results into carrier scorecards and risk reviews. Deeper carrier analysis fits naturally alongside our Shipping KPIs guide, where broader performance trends sit.

Looking only at overall return rates can hide important patterns, making it harder to spot issues tied specifically to delivery performance. Separating these categories makes it possible to surface underlying issues and identify revenue loss that could have been avoided with stronger last-mile execution.

Each delivery-related return represents a sale that might have been kept with better timing, handling, or communication, making this KPI a valuable lens on customer experience and lifetime value.

Delivery KPIs focused on communication and customer experience

Delivery is often the most emotional part of the order journey. Once payment is taken, customers wait, watch, and form opinions based on updates, clarity, and how issues are handled.

Communication-focused delivery performance KPIs help capture that emotional layer and translate it into measurable insight.

A simple question works best, such as “How satisfied were you with the delivery of your order?” paired with a short rating scale. With this added context, teams can better assess what delivery KPIs are actually indicating.

Strong on-time numbers mean less if customers still report frustration around missed updates or poor handoffs. CSAT fills that gap, showing how delivery outcomes actually land with customers.

Delivery-related contact rate

Delivery-related contact rate measures the number of support interactions related to delivery issues per 100 orders. Some typical examples include “Where is my order?” or “My parcel says delivered, but hasn’t arrived.”

Rising contact volume often points to communication breakdowns rather than isolated delivery failures. Each contact carries a cost through added support time and customer frustration.

Providing proactive status updates, easy-to-follow tracking links, and early warnings about delays typically leads to rapid improvement in this KPI. Lower contact rates tend to signal smoother delivery communication and higher confidence in the overall purchasing process.

Starshipit tip: Customers who can see progress feel more in control and contact support less often. Starshipit supports this through branded tracking pages and consolidated updates that keep information consistent across channels. 

Engagement data also highlights whether tracking messages are reaching customers or are just getting ignored.

Delivery review rating

The delivery review rating assesses how delivery is discussed in public reviews. Phrases like “arrived early” or “delivery was slow” reveal sentiment that can influence future buyers.

Tagging and analysing delivery mentions helps teams spot patterns that raw ratings tend to miss. Positive delivery comments can lift conversion rates, while repeated complaints often signal deeper delivery performance KPI issues that affect your brand’s overall perception.

Delivery KPIs focused on choice and flexibility

Choice shapes delivery performance just as much as speed does. The options presented at checkout influence customer expectations, satisfaction, and even conversion rates, making flexibility an important part of last-mile KPI analysis.

Patterns in this data reveal what customers value most at the moment of purchase. A high uptake of express delivery often signals urgency or confidence in faster services, while strong pickup adoption may point to convenience or cost sensitivity.

Changes in the mix of delivery options help people make smart choices. Retailers can evaluate which options deserve more visibility, which may be overpriced, and which add complexity without having meaningful demand.

Pricing strategy also benefits, since delivery performance KPIs tied to option mix show how speed, cost, and reliability trade off in real buying behaviour.

Uptake of eco / low-emissions delivery options (if available)

Eco and low-emissions delivery uptake offers a sustainability lens for teams that provide greener shipping choices. When clearly explained at checkout, some customer segments are willing to accept longer delivery windows in exchange for reduced environmental impact.

Tracking adoption highlights which audiences value sustainability and how strongly it influences their purchasing decisions. Any results should be read as a signal of customer preference rather than a mandatory benchmark to rigidly enforce.

For brands focused on delivery performance KPI reporting, this metric helps balance flexibility, expectations, and long-term brand alignment without forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.

Next steps: Turning delivery KPIs into action with automation

Delivery performance KPIs deliver the most value when they feed into simple, repeatable playbooks rather than sitting in a report. Patterns in the data usually point to clear actions.

A drop in delivery promise accuracy often signals a gap between checkout messaging and actual carrier performance, making it a favourable moment to review your current carrier mix, regional rules, or delivery windows. 

A spike in delivery-related contact rate tends to highlight communication gaps, prompting a review of notification timing, tracking visibility, or delay messaging. Low first-attempt delivery success usually stems from address quality or unclear delivery instructions, both of which can be improved earlier in the checkout flow.

Starshipit tip: When delivery KPIs are paired with carrier performance data, address validation, and consistent tracking communication, teams can make incremental improvements without adding manual overhead as volume grows.

If you want to see how these delivery KPIs play out in your own operations, Starshipit’s reporting and automation tools make it easier to compare carrier performance, identify regional trends, and tighten delivery promises based on real data. You can try it yourself using a 30-day free trial of Starshipit or book a walkthrough to see how delivery KPIs are applied across real-world workflows.