New Research by Stord Reveals Most E-Commerce Brands Fail to Meet Consumer Expectations

New Research by Stord Reveals Most E-Commerce Brands Fail to Meet Consumer Expectations

As U.S. e-commerce sales near $1.6 trillion, a new study from Stord, the Consumer Experience Company, reveals a growing gap between consumer expectations and brand performance. The 2025 Mystery Shopping Report, “Are U.S. E-Commerce Brands Delivering on Consumer Expectations?”, found that only 34% of brands deliver as promised, while a staggering 93% fail to recover abandoned carts—leaving significant revenue unrealized.

Despite heavy investments in product development and marketing, many brands continue to fall short operationally. “Most brands have invested heavily in their product and their marketing, but are not meeting critically important consumer expectations on every order,” said Sean Henry, CEO and co-founder of Stord. “Our research shows that scalable consumer delivery experiences are now the biggest barrier to growth in e-commerce.”

The study analyzed over 250 e-commerce transactions across industries such as Nutrition & Supplements, Apparel & Accessories, Beauty & Personal Care, and Food & Beverage. It also surveyed 1,000 U.S. shoppers, uncovering widespread deficiencies across the customer journey—from checkout to returns.

Key Findings

• Cart Recovery: 93% of brands don’t send abandoned cart reminders. Recovering just 5% of those carts could yield an extra $13,000 per month for a brand with 1,000 monthly orders at $50 each.
• Delivery Reliability: Only 34% of brands delivered on time, while 14% missed delivery commitments by an average of seven days.
• Communication: Just 12% of brands provide SMS order updates, even though more than half of consumers prefer text notifications.
• Product Integrity: 12% of shipments arrived damaged, with most consumers unwilling to repurchase after such experiences.
• Returns Policies: 12% of brands had no visible return policy, and 10% added restocking fees—creating friction that deters repeat buyers.

Stord’s integrated platform helps brands bridge these gaps by combining omnichannel fulfillment, warehouse management, and commerce enablement technology. Through its extensive global network, Stord enables brands to reduce delivery times, cut costs, and ensure consistent delivery performance.

The full report is available at stord.com/reports/mystery-shopping-2025.

About Stord

Stord powers seamless checkout, delivery, and returns for leading omnichannel brands through a mix of fulfillment services and proprietary software. Managing nearly $10 billion in commerce annually, Stord’s technology suite—including OMS, WMS, and post-purchase tools—helps brands like AG1, True Classic, Native, Seed Health, quip, and goodr deliver exceptional consumer experiences at scale. Stord is backed by Kleiner Perkins, Salesforce Ventures, Founders Fund, and others, with operations spanning the U.S., Canada, and Europe.