Why fast delivery wins peak, and how shipping software helps

Peak is synonymous with discounts. Every November, retailers' windows and websites are adorned with ‘SALE’, ‘40% off’, and ‘Buy 1 get 1 free’ decals and banner ads. Discounts are a powerful acquisition tool, especially during peak.

However, they also squeeze margins when demand is highest, train shoppers to wait for sales periods, and can erode brand and product value. While discounting is the default lever, it’s by no means the only one. 

That’s where shipping software, and the fast delivery options it enables, comes in. Almost two thirds (62%) of Australian shoppers are willing to pay extra for faster delivery. Speed was one of the defining trends of peak 2025, when Shippit data showed that:

• Retailers offering same day delivery grew 3.5% faster during the Black Friday, Cyber Monday weekend;
• Retailers offering next day delivery grew 4.0% faster. 

Last year, retailers started their sales, on average, 13 days before Black Friday. We’re already observing a busy start to November this year, with order volumes 14% higher than at the same point in 2025. So with Black Friday sales already ramping up, here’s what peak 2025 taught retailers, and how to make speed, not just discounts, your edge in the weeks ahead. 

The hidden cost of peak discounting

Discounting isn’t going anywhere. When asked what they’re investing in, 34% of retailers cited promotions (second only to AI), according to the 2026 State of Shipping Report. Discounting will always be a feature of retail, but it cannot be the only tactic brands use to drive acquisition and retention. 

The harder retailers lean on sales, the more shoppers learn to hold out for it. “Heavy discounting trains consumers to wait. It compresses margins when demand is at its highest and it creates a promotional ‘arms race’ that retailers are ill-equipped to win against global giants,” says Rob Hango-Zada, Co-Founder and Joint-CEO of Shippit.

Research shows that six in ten (60%) shoppers delay purchases through the year to buy in the sales. That means aggressive discounting can drive a peak season spike, but could have a knock-on effect during the rest of the year. So rather than simply dropping prices, retailers must focus on increasing value. 

Fast delivery drives sales without giving away margin

“Our biggest takeaway from peak 2025 was not about discounts, but the positive impact fast delivery has on sales growth,” Rob says.

Faster delivery options are now a top-two purchase factor for 34% of shoppers, up from 27.6% in 2025, according to the State of Shipping Report. Next day delivery volumes on the Shippit platform grew 66% year on year. Evidently, the demand is there.

As demand grows, more specialist carriers enter the market, and density increases, same day delivery is actually getting cheaper - bucking a trend where standard and express costs are growing. In 2026, same day delivery costs an average of $17.50 - almost half the $31.00 it cost in 2018. 

What’s more, the price gap between same day and standard delivery has narrowed from $8 in 2024 to $6.20, making it an increasingly appealing option for consumers trained to expect speed.

With 68% of shoppers saying they might not return after a poor delivery experience, the delivery a customer gets in November and December - when it matters most - can influence whether they return in February or August. 

“For established retailers, loyalty programs are one of the biggest drivers of repeat purchases. In 2026, fast, reliable, and smart delivery is your ultimate loyalty program,” Rob says.

Retailers know it, but few offer it

Almost half (45%) of retailers rank fast delivery as a leading driver of both acquisition and retention. It also leads their post-purchase investment list. But despite awareness and intention being high, very few retailers currently offer the on demand options that consumers are looking for.

In 2026, just 8.1% of brands offer on demand delivery. Amazon provides same or next day delivery to the majority of the Australian population, a service it’s building it’s growing dominance on. 

Alongside Temu and Shein, it’s forecast to control 36% of ecommerce spend in 2026. Four in five (82%) retailers are concerned about them, and faster shipping times are one of the top three areas where they’re losing ground.

How Petbarn turned fast delivery into a revenue generator

We’re a nation of animal lovers, so when the dog runs out of food or the cat needs its medication, “five business days” isn’t going to cut it. Petbarn, Australia’s leading pet retailer, built its delivery offer around that urgency.

Petbarn integrated Shippit and our on demand carriers into its checkout, turning its 240 stores into local fulfilment points for same day, next day, and click and collect orders. 

For every order, Shippit matches the most suitable on demand carrier based on location, speed, cost, and service. That means shoppers see the fastest option their nearest store can deliver. Orders upgrade to express when there’s no cost impact, and switch to standard when it’s just as fast. 

The payoff has been significant, with customers who choose on demand delivery spending 3.5 times more, and placing 35% more orders.

“Shippit allows us to enable and expand our delivery radius and ship to more customers from our stores, which is the key to unlocking our 2-hour delivery promise. We now have access to more carriers, more delivery options, and more ways for customers to shop and receive their orders exactly the way they want,” says Antoun Torossian, National Online & Optimisation Manager at Petbarn.

Close the promise gap at checkout

Offering fast delivery is one part, communicating it effectively at checkout is the other. Many retailers already deliver considerably faster than they say. Retailers advertise an average of 5.2 days for delivery at checkout, yet the average delivery on Shippit takes just 2.2 days. That’s a three-day gap for fulfilment, and a misleading, vague delivery promise that increases cart abandonment. 

Just 7.2% of retailers show accurate delivery estimates at checkout, yet 68% of shoppers say an accurate delivery date before they buy is ‘essential or very important’, and 38% say it makes them more likely to buy.

It’s Monday morning and two retailers are selling the same jacket at the same price. Both can deliver it in two days, but their checkouts promise two very different time frames. One retailer says “arrives Wednesday”, while the other says “5 to 7 business days”. There’s only ever going to be one winner. During peak season, that decision can happen thousands of times a day.

“True 7-day, next-day and on demand fulfilment matter, but what matters more is making the promise at checkout match what the network can actually deliver,” says Matt Lang, ANZ Online Transport Operations & Strategy Manager at Kmart. 

How shipping software turns fast delivery into a growth lever

Shipping software connects your checkout, your stock, your carriers, and your operations, so the promise a shopper sees is one your operation can keep. Here’s the role that the best ecommerce shipping solutions in Australia, like Shippit, can play at peak.

• Connect to on demand carriers: Shippit’s shipping platform connects retailers to on demand carriers including Uber Direct, DoorDash, and Sherpa (among more than 100 carrier services) so you can offer fast delivery options at checkout from the stores, DCs, and warehouses closest to your customers.
• Show a date shoppers can trust: Shippit’s AI-powered estimated delivery dates are trained on millions of delivery patterns, providing an exact date when we’re confident, a range when we’re less so, and a fallback when we’re not. They reduce cart abandonment and turn certainty and trust into conversion. 
• Fulfil from the closest stock: Treating your stores as a fulfilment network, not just a physical sales channel, is one of the biggest competitive advantages brands can wield in the battle for faster delivery speeds. Shippit helped Baby Bunting, Australia’s leading specialty baby retailer, provide online fulfilment from 100% of stores. As a result of unlocking more inventory in more locations closer to its customers, Baby Bunting grew online sales 18% in 12 months (from 22.4% to 24.8% of total sales) and generated AUD$1.2m in labour optimisation - without increasing rostered hours. Allison Kraemer, Baby Bunting’s International Logistics & Fulfilment Manager for ANZ, says: “Customers expect speed, flexibility, and multiple delivery options, while businesses must protect margins and manage rising costs. When you combine engaged teams with local inventory and strong omnichannel capability, ship-from-store becomes a competitive advantage built on trust, speed, and consistency.”
• Offer the right speed for the right order: Not every order needs two-hour delivery, but the ones that do are worth a lot. With more than 100 carriers on one platform, and on demand reach covering 90% of Australia’s population within 50 km of a pickup point, you can offer speed where it matters most. 

Fast delivery drives lifetime value, not just quick wins

Peak 2026 brings higher expectations and more competition for every order across a longer season. The retailers who win it aren’t just the ones with the deepest discounts, they’re the ones who deliver fast and build trust with consumers when it matters most.

Ready to make speed your peak advantage? Book a demo to see how Shippit’s shipping software helps you make delivery promises you can keep.