Ecommerce Shipping & Returns Statistics 2026

Shipping cost benchmarks, return rates, carrier mix, and last-mile data for Shopify merchants in 2026.

📊 25 statistics 📰 21 cited sources 🗓 Updated 2026-05-17 (refreshed quarterly)

TL;DR

25 statistics across 5 categories, all source-cited.
Sourced from 21 named research outlets including Baymard Institute, BloombergNEF EV Outlook, Business Insider Intelligence, Convey, DS Smith.
Updated May 2026 — refreshed quarterly.
Shipping cost benchmarks, return rates, carrier mix, and last-mile data for Shopify merchants in 2026.

Where shipping budget actually goes.

Last-mile delivery accounts for 53% of total shipping costs.

Source: Business Insider Intelligence · 2024
US parcel volume reached 21.7 billion shipments in 2023.

Source: Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index · 2024
Average US parcel rate rose 5.9% YoY in 2024.

Source: ShipMatrix · 2024
Same-day delivery demand grew 36% YoY.

Source: McKinsey · 2024
62% of consumers expect free shipping on orders > $35.

Source: Digital Commerce 360 · 2024
Failed first-attempt deliveries cost retailers $17.2 per package.

Source: Convey · 2023

Who actually moves the boxes.

USPS handled 42% of US ecommerce parcels in 2024.

Source: Pitney Bowes · 2024
Amazon Logistics surpassed UPS in domestic parcel volume in 2023.

Source: Pitney Bowes · 2024
DHL eCommerce Solutions grew international parcel revenue 9% in 2024.

Source: Deutsche Post DHL Group · 2024
FedEx Ground average daily volume declined 1.7% YoY in fiscal 2024.

Source: FedEx Annual Report · 2024
Regional carriers grew share to 14% of US parcel market in 2024.

Source: ShipMatrix · 2024

How shipping policy moves the funnel.

73% of US shoppers consider free shipping the most important factor at checkout.

Source: Walker Sands Future of Retail · 2024
Adding free shipping increased conversion 8.6% on average.

Source: Baymard Institute · 2024
Cart abandonment due to extra costs (shipping/tax/fees) is 48%.

Source: Baymard Institute · 2024
Two-day shipping promises lift conversion by ~16% on apparel SKUs.

Source: Shopify · 2023

What comes back through the door.

US ecommerce return rate was 16.9% in 2023 ($247B in returned merchandise).

Source: National Retail Federation · 2024
Apparel returns specifically run 24.4%.

Source: National Retail Federation · 2024
Reverse-logistics cost averages 21% of the original order value.

Source: Optoro · 2024
67% of shoppers check return policy before completing checkout.

Source: UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper · 2023
Returns fraud cost retailers $101B in 2023.

Source: NRF / Appriss Retail · 2024
Shopify merchants on returns automation reduce restocking time 53%.

Source: Shopify Plus benchmark · 2024

The carbon footprint of ecommerce shipping.

Ecommerce parcel deliveries are projected to emit 25 million metric tons of CO2 in 2026.

Source: World Economic Forum · 2024
83% of consumers prefer sustainable shipping options even at higher cost.

Source: IBM Institute for Business Value · 2023
EV last-mile fleets grew 41% in 2024.

Source: BloombergNEF EV Outlook · 2024
Right-sized packaging reduces void fill by ~37% per parcel.

Source: DS Smith · 2024

Last-mile delivery accounts for 53% of total shipping costs. (Source: Business Insider Intelligence, 2024.)

USPS handled 42% of US ecommerce parcels in 2024. (Source: Pitney Bowes, 2024.)

73% of US shoppers consider free shipping the most important factor at checkout. (Source: Walker Sands Future of Retail, 2024.)

US ecommerce return rate was 16.9% in 2023 ($247B in returned merchandise). (Source: National Retail Federation, 2024.)

Ecommerce parcel deliveries are projected to emit 25 million metric tons of CO2 in 2026. (Source: World Economic Forum, 2024.)

Forthroute consolidates returns + 3PL handoffs in one Shopify-native dashboard.