As an eCommerce retailer, you’re probably thinking, “this isn’t rocket science!”

Same-day shipping means that a customer’s order will ship out on the same day the order is placed. This can cut a day or two off delivery time versus retailers that wait to ship orders. Same-day delivery means the customer will receive their order on the same day it’s placed. Often, the order must be placed by a certain time of day for this to be applicable—such as before noon.

Of course, to a customer, they may incorrectly view same-day shipping and same-day delivery as one and the same. We recommend making it even clearer on your pricing page so there is no confusion. After all, transparency is one of the six eCommerce shipping best practices you should follow to build customer loyalty. 

Ultimately, it’s not easy to offer same-day delivery as a small or medium-sized eCommerce business. Large eCommerce retailers have their own distribution networks which makes it hard to compete on that level. 

It’s important to remember, however, that the majority of customers don’t expect small and medium-sized eCommerce retailers to offer same-day delivery; they expect that from the Amazons and Targets of the world. 

For most consumers, 3-5 days was the magic number (the sooner, the better, of course). With a third-party logistics (3PL) provider such as The Fulfillment Lab, you can achieve same-day fulfillment, and get your product to customers, in just 1-3 days!