Why on-demand delivery is a necessity in online shopping

You can buy a product in seconds and have it show up in front of your door within 24 hours, or faster. When it comes to online shopping, consumers have never had a better experience.

The On-Demand Revolution

On-demand delivery has revolutionised the eCommerce and shipping industry by leveraging thousands of part-time local delivery people to bring products to customers immediately. Express options for same-day delivery are becoming more sought after and requested by consumers. Businesses not only have to introduce new technologies into their supply chain, but also adopt new strategies to stay ahead.

On-Demand + Starshipit

A recent report by a Sydney-based on-demand delivery start-up showed that 61% of consumers are willing to pay extra for the convenience same-day delivery brings. Shipping software platforms like Starshipit are working to bring that fast delivery experience to businesses.

Founded in 2011, Starshipit is a nifty cloud-based software that’s leading the way for integrated shipping and tracking in Australia and New Zealand. By bridging the gap between eCommerce platforms and couriers, Starshipit allows merchants to automate and streamline their order fulfilment process. Integrating with a multitude of preferred couriers and eCommerce giants like Shopify, Starshipit has features such as live shipping rates at checkout, branded tracking, address auto-correct, automatic order write-back and batch label printing. Starshipit also supports the new Australia Post and Zoom2u on-demand services which provide same-day delivery.

Functionality like this has enabled popular online fashion retailers such as iloveugly, Showpo and Hello Molly to manage their increasing demand and meet customer expectations. Hello Molly Operations Manager, Ena Eaton says that their “delivery promise is only achieved with the efficiency of Starshipit”, which enables Ena’s team to get all orders received by 2:00pm packed and ready for pickup. Using their winning combination of Australia Post and Starshipit, the increased efficiency has helped the business grow considerably.

Consumers Expect It

With “speed and convenience being increasingly important elements of the delivery experience”, on-demand delivery gives customers “greater control, choice and certainty around when their parcel will arrive” says Australia Post.


Australia Post offers options such as ‘On Demand Now’ where customers can receive orders within three hours, to ‘On Demand Tonight’ where customers place an order during the day and receive their parcel between 6-9pm that night.“On-demand delivery is fast becoming a customer expectation for customers that shop online. We're always looking at ways to deliver our products faster to our customers, with on demand being one of the key ways forward. We now offer same-day delivery to approximately 55% of Australia's population, with plans to keep expanding that number.” says Paul Waddy, Head of Operations at Showpo.

The Bottom Line

On-demand delivery is convenient, fast and transparent. With custom notifications to keep customers informed, retailers are not only adapting to consumers’ needs by delivering on-demand, but also by keeping them informed throughout the process. Tightening the relationship between consumers and business by driving traffic, it also presents opportunities to stand and reach new customers.


According to Shopify, “in a recent survey, 49% of shoppers say that same-day shipping would make them more inclined to shop online; however, only 15% of global retailers offer same-day delivery”. This gap provides an opportunity for eStores to cater to local customers, differentiate their brand, and attract new customers, whilst simultaneously converting sales. Meeting customer expectations, while also handling on-demand shipping can be costly and timely. That’s why Starshipit bridges the gap to help deliver the goods customers expect. A globally trusted and highly rated shipping and tracking software, Starshipit has revolutionised thousands of businesses — chances are it will do the same for yours.