Rob Hango-Zada, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Shippit, is the kind of guy who can make delivery density sound like a footy stat. And somehow just as thrilling. Back on Add To Cart for his annual State of Shipping debrief, Rob dropped insights, analogies and hard truths about the future of ecommerce fulfilment.
Now ten years into the Shippit journey, he’s got a bird’s-eye view on what’s actually moving the needle for Aussie retailers. And spoiler: it’s not just about being fast. It’s about being smart.
Here’s what you should take away from this episode.
Speed is now the bare minimum
Remember when metro delivery meant five to eight business days? That’s ancient history. The industry average is now 1.7 days. But, to be honest, customers don’t notice averages. They notice when you’re late. Yes, that includes you, doesn’t it? (We listen, we don’t judge).
Rob shared one standout story of a retailer hitting five-minute dispatch times. Not because they built some robotic DC in the desert, but because their store teams treat every order like a mission. Culture, not code, is what’s driving real speed.
Retailers who win on speed are the ones who’ve aligned incentives, nailed internal processes and fostered a sense of urgency from click to doorstep. If the dispatch team sees ecommerce as a distraction instead of the main game, you’re already on the back foot.
✋ Did you know...
The 2024 report was already featured on Sunrise, The Today Show, and ABC News. Download your 2025 copy today.
“Free” isn’t dead, but it’s got to earn its keep
There’s been a major vibe shift around free shipping and returns. Two-thirds of retailers still offer free delivery, but usually with a spend threshold now averaging $123. Free returns, though? Plummeted to just 14%.
If you’re asking yourself what that pullback is about, well, it’s pretty simple. Margins are tight, and the maths doesn’t work anymore. Retailers are realising it’s not about scrapping perks altogether anymore. It’s more about making them work harder.
The smarter operators are linking perks to loyalty tiers. Give the best customers the best experience. Think Amazon Prime, but on your terms. Strategic generosity is in. Blanket freebies, not so much.
Same-day is on the rise (and getting cheaper)
Here’s a curveball: same-day delivery is becoming more affordable. In 2018 it averaged $31. Now it’s $17.39. Two words: Delivery density. More people ordering from the same retailers in the same postcodes equals fewer stops, which equals better economics. As Rob puts it: By 2027, Parramatta could be cheaper to service same-day than via standard post.
Think of it like a lawn mowing run. If you’ve got five lawns in a row, you make more money with less travel. Same thing applies here. Under Rob’s vision, ecommerce is going full milkman. Regular routes, high volume, low cost. And the best part is, retailers don’t need Amazon’s infrastructure to tap into this: they just need the right postcode strategy and a platform like Shippit that makes toggling on local delivery as easy as flipping a switch.
Fulfilment isn’t a backend function, it’s your brand promise
Underneath the stats, the real takeaway from Rob’s chat is this: delivery is no longer just a logistics line item. It’s a key part of your customer experience. A fast, reliable, well-communicated delivery builds trust and loyalty. And a poor one, you guessed it: it undoes everything marketing tried to build.
Speed of fulfilment is what locks in the customer. It’s not just about reducing cart abandonment anymore. It’s about eliminating the wandering eye.
And yet, two in three retailers aren’t even using their delivery data. That’s like trying to run paid ads without checking ROAS.
But there’s still good news. The tools are here, the insights are here, and the levers are ready to be pulled. The question now would be: are you willing to treat shipping like the loyalty engine it really is?
If you want the full stats, stories and strategy to look like the smartest one in your next board meeting, the 2025 State of Shipping Report is packed with insights from 3,000 retail websites, delivery benchmarks, and case studies from some of the best in the biz. Grab it, steal a few slides, and see how your brand stacks up.
And if you want to hear Rob Hango-Zada break it all down (including weird analogies, straight talk and zero jargon) the full Add To Cart episode is now live. Hit play and get across the shipping trends shaping Aussie ecommerce:
Your future fulfilment strategy will thank you.
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