Fashion and footwear players have a managerial headache on their hands as online shoppers ratchet up their demands.
In general, free shipping is critical with 94 percent of online shoppers. And when free shipping is offered, 19 percent expect same-day delivery, up from 11 percent a year ago.
Seventeen percent said they expect delivery the next day, up from 9 percent in 2025. Two-day delivery was acceptable for 23 percent of respondents, essentially flat with year-ago results. But there were also nuances among online fashion and shoe buyers and their expectations.
According to a 2026 Home Delivery Survey from AlixPartners, “on time” no longer means what it once did for free deliveries. The norm for the past several years was 3.5 days. In the latest study, consumers now want faster shipping, and the expectation is within 2.6 days. In comparison, the average wait in 2012 was 5.5 days when AlixPartners first began its annual home delivery survey.
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The latest study, an online survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers and 100 North American executives in transportation, logistics and supply chain functions at firms with sales of $100 million or more, reflect the new shifts in consumer behavior and details the challenges companies are facing and what they are doing to improve operations.
The study is important to fashion and shoe brands due to consumer expectations when free shipping isn’t met. That’s because apparel and footwear are at highest risk for consumers to elect to buy elsewhere. Twenty-one percent of sales are at risk as consumer respondents said they will either search for the product — or something similar — from another retailer or site.
Moreover, while only one-third of shippers offer same-day delivery, demand for the service has grown. Separate from the AlixPartners survey, big box shoe retailers have been eyeing convenience as the key to improving their customer experience. To that end, Hibbett last year became the latest to partner with the Uber Eats platform for same-day delivery, joining shoe retailers DSW and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Among luxury fashion, footwear and accessories buyers, the AlixPartners survey found that 19 percent are willing to pay an extra charge of under $5 for same-day service, with 24 percent okay with a $5 to $9.99 charge, and 22 percent willing to pay a higher $10 to $14.99 fee. For general fashion, footwear and accessories purchases, 20 percent were okay with a fee under $5, 25 percent were willing to pay between $5 and $9.99, and 21 percent said they would pay a charge of between $10 and $14.99. But for specialty apparel, footwear and accessories purchases, 22 percent said a fee of up to $5 was doable, 24 percent were okay with a charge between $5 and $9.99, and 20 percent were willing to pay between $10 and $14.99.
While most shoppers, in general, expect same-day delivery, fashion and shoe buyers were willing to willing to wait up to two days, maybe even three, to receive their purchases. However, they were not willing to wait more than three days, even for free shipping.
That said, online delivery is still the favored mode for receipt of purchases. For general fashion, footwear and accessories purchases, 44 percent of consumers said online delivery (in home) was preferred, followed by 28 percent for buy online and pick up in store (BOPIS) and 28 percent preferring in-store pick up. The data was the same for purchases of specialty apparel, footwear and accessories purchases. For luxury apparel, footwear and accessories, 40 percent signaled a preference for in-home, 28 percent for BOPIS and 32 percent for in-store.
Returns Are Also a Concern
Fashion and footwear purchases also present a different headache for retailers and brands — these items are the most returned online purchases by category. For general apparel items, footwear and accessories purchases, 21 percent get returned. That percentage drops to 12 percent for luxury purchases, including shoes, and 7 percent for specialty apparel and footwear.
The main reason for returned items at 23 percent was due to product not meeting consumer expectations, and 17 percent for receipt of damaged goods. Sixteen percent said they returned items due to multiple purchases to try and find fit and color preference, up from just 5 percent in 2020. Fourteen percent said the product failed to meet the description or fit. In addition, 14 percent surprisingly admitted to buying an item to wear to an event and then returning it afterwards, compared with just 3 percent in 2020 and in 2025. Just 10 percent said the wrong product was shipped, versus 19 percent in 2022, while 3 percent said they changed their minds, followed by 2 percent who said the item arrived late.
Fifty-eight percent said they reviewed return policies before completing an online purchase, 34 percent said they might check depending on the item or retailer and 8 percent said they rarely or never reviewed those policies.
But even when returning items, 39 percent had a preference for free returns in a store where the location is less than a 30-minute drive, versus 44 percent in 2023. Thirty-seven percent said their preferred method of return was a drop-off — for free — at a delivery provider location that’s no more than a 15 to 30 minute drive. That’s slightly down from 40 percent last year but higher than the 22 percent of respondents recorded in the 2023 survey. Some consumers were willing to pay a small fee at a close delivery provider, such as Drop Box, U.S. Postal Service (USPS) or UPS, at between $2 and $5. Only 5 percent in the 2026 survey were willing to pay a collected fee of between $5 and $10 for a return from home.
Interestingly enough, 62 percent of executives report only less than 5 percent of their orders are returned, followed by 22 percent indicating a return rate of between 5 percent and 10 percent. Fifty percent said they require valid reasons for a free return, such as damaged or wrong product shipped and late shipments, followed by 41 percent accepting free returns if made with a certain timeframe. Six percent of executive respondents said they do not accept free returns.
Sixty-three percent of executives said they offered free print labels and drops at a local carrier, 44 percent offered free returns to a store, and 29 percent offered customer-paid shipping at a local carrier, such as UPS, USPS and FedEx. Overall, Amazon tops consumer delivery preferences, while USPS ranks the lowest for timeliness and package condition.
The survey found that retailers are using multiple providers to de-risk their networks, but price and reliability remain the top criteria for choosing a primary carrier. In addition, 90 percent of executives said they use a mix of last-mile carriers, with 38 percent noting that FedEx is their primary last-mile carrier, shifting from 35 percent relying on UPS in 2023.
Ninety-two percent of executives said their delivery performance has improved year-over-year as fulfillment networks and carrier service levels stabilize. And 73 percent are planning initiatives to improve home delivery operations through network optimization, with another 53 percent focusing on planning and execution technology platforms. Another 52 percent cited a diversified carrier strategy.
And even knowing there’s need for improvement, 64 percent of executives don’t believe home delivery is accretive to their profitability, while “four out of four have experienced increased costs since last year,” AlixPartners noted. The study also found that for retailers, duties are now a structural cost issue, with 25 percent noting they’ve adjusted pricing and sourcing costs and 38 percent stating that tariffs impact their cost structure and supplier decisions.
The AI Equation
The one area helping both consumers and retail executives is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Consumers, at 43 percent, are becoming more comfortable using it for product recommendations when browsing, with another 37 percent using it as a tool for questions about products before purchase. Thirty-six precent rely on AI for delivery updates, followed by 34 percent for handling delivery problems and 31 percent for suggesting delivery options.
For retail executives, the AI sweet spot is delivery guidance, with 65 percent using it for real-time tracking, particularly in final-mile delivery. Forty-percent use it as a tool for proactive customer notification. Twenty-nine percent said they use AI capabilities for address validation and correction, while 15 percent are using it via customer service chatbots or virtual agents.
When it comes to shipping, these are the top five priorities for using AI over the next two to three years according to executive respondents: 68 said using AI to improve accuracy in estimated arrival times is their highest priority, followed by 56 percent for optimizing routing and dispatch in real time, 49 percent for reducing failed or missed deliveries, 45 percent for optimize network design and last-mile capacity, and 44 percent for automating customer support for delivery issues.
