In 2025, retailers find themselves in the middle of a new race — one that’s reshaping the landscape of retail and ecommerce. Today’s retailers are testing the limits of delivery speed, with same-day delivery becoming the new frontier in the battle for customer loyalty and market share. Whether you’re selling sporting goods, construction supplies or pet products, here’s what you need to know about the state of same-day delivery in 2025.
The race for ultrafast fulfillment
In 2025, megaretailers and ecommerce giants have set their own ambitious goals, with Amazon leading the charge in continuing to redefine delivery expectations. Amazon reported same- or next-day deliveries of 9 billion items globally in 2024. Consider these points:
Same-day delivery is no longer the major differentiator among retailers
In our 2024 Roadie research report, we surveyed 150 industry leaders already offering same day. We found that 96% of them had offered same-day delivery for more than a year, and 63% of respondents said they’d offered it for three or more years.
Amazon continues to push the boundaries of delivery speed
Same-day delivery for Amazon isn’t new. But in 2024, the company expanded that offering, reaching some 140 U.S. metro areas. As a result, many customers can now receive their Amazon orders in as little as a few hours. Prime members can browse same-day items — from diapers to beauty products — by category, price point and retail store. And if the order doesn’t meet the $25 minimum, customers can pay a nominal $2.99 fee for convenience.
Same-day delivery pays big, especially with younger consumers
A February 2025 report on same-day fulfillment in the global market found that same-day delivery was valued at $14.4 billion in 2024 — a number projected to reach $36.2 billion in 2030. The report also found that consumers — particularly Gen Z and millennials — are willing to pay more for the near-instant gratification they prefer with their deliveries. Further, subscription-based business models continue to raise the bar when it comes to delivery speed.
Higher customer satisfaction and retention
Industry leaders surveyed by Roadie reported 80% higher customer satisfaction levels, 70% higher sales and a 66% higher customer retention rate when implementing same-day delivery. More than 28% of respondents also reported a 6 to 10% increase in compound annual growth rate.
Competing in the same-day delivery sphere
For businesses looking to compete in this landscape, the challenge can feel formidable. But it’s not insurmountable. Here are a few key strategies that will differentiate you in the same-day sphere:
Add extra efficiency with distribution centers
Same-day has previously relied on fulfilling from store inventory — inventory that’s closest to customers and can be handed off to last-mile partners operating locally. But stores are fulfillment centers and delivering from stores comes with added operational costs. Retailers are starting to leverage solutions like cross-docking for same-day delivery instead. With a cross-dock solution, they send less-than-truckload (LTL) and full truckload (FTL) pickups from distribution centers to a partner’s facility for last-mile dispatch within a few hours, easily getting items to customers by the end of the day. This approach can be particularly effective for businesses dealing with a high volume of large or complex items that don’t fit traditional same-day delivery models.
Implement tech advancements
Your same-day delivery ecosystem should be built on advanced logistics technology, including real-time tracking systems with photographic chain of custody, automated warehouses to streamline order process and inventory management and sophisticated route optimization algorithms to determine the most efficient delivery routes that minimize travel time and increase delivery volume. If you’re not leveraging these things, it’s time to play catch-up — fast.
Use a crowdsourcing network
Partnering with a trusted last-mile delivery solution can help you quickly scale your offerings to meet both daily fulfillment needs as well as peak season surges. Even Amazon is working with smaller, local businesses to help close its last-mile delivery gap.
Streamline oversized deliveries
“There are some products for which consumers will enthusiastically pay for delivery because it solves
a major headache for them,” noted Dennis Moon, COO and head of operations at Roadie, in the 2024 report. Roadie not only allows retailers to skip the headache of dimensional weight fees, packaging and early cut-off times, but it also enables any retailer to provide same-day delivery for any size item, whether a treadmill, a sofa or auto parts.
Evaluate your current delivery methods
Roadie found that 80% of surveyed industry leaders reported using a major parcel carrier, while 51% used their own fleet for same-day fulfillment. Major parcel carriers run specific routes each day, lacking the flexibility of a crowdsourced solution. And retailers that use a company fleet incur maintenance, added vehicle and insurance costs, not to mention added labor.
Determine where — and how — to streamline spend
The key is finding cost-effective approaches to manage the affordability of the same-day delivery process. You’ll want to take a hard look at your ROI and inefficiencies in your processes, whether it’s streamlining your company’s picking and packing operations, switching to a crowdsourced delivery system versus a traditional carrier or setting higher product prices and adding order minimums to cover delivery costs. While same-day delivery does add cost to a business, all leaders who used same-day reported higher revenues as a result.
As we look to the future, it’s clear that the companies that can offer the fastest, most reliable delivery will have a significant advantage. The question for businesses is not whether to enter this race but how to compete effectively within it. At Roadie, a network of more than 310,000 independent drivers are at the ready, going where and when traditional carriers can’t or won’t. Our flexibility and scalability are based on your demand, with no minimum capital investment or volume commitment required.
By learning from the strategic approaches of industry leaders and investing in the right technologies and partnerships for same-day fulfillment, your business can cement its status in the world of ecommerce and customer satisfaction.
