E-commerce · Delivery options
Which delivery services should your European checkout offer by market?
Short answer
Offer what shoppers in each country already use. In some markets, parcel lockers and pickup points are the default and checkout without them loses sales; in others, home delivery dominates. Cash on delivery still matters in several Central and Eastern European and southern markets, and hardly at all in others.
Map preferences per country, check which carriers can deliver those options, then add them to checkout and measure conversion and delivery success.
Why delivery options differ so much
European shoppers have very different habits. Where locker networks are dense and well known, shoppers choose them by default because they're fast and they don't have to wait at home. Where home delivery is reliable and cheap, that's what shoppers expect. Where trust in online payment is lower or card use is less common, cash on delivery is still a real share of orders. Checkout that ignores local habits loses conversions, and delivery that ignores them produces failed deliveries and returns.
The options, and what each needs
| Option | Why customers choose it | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Home delivery | Convenience, bulky items | Good notifications, rerouting, delivery-day choice where expected |
| Parcel lockers | 24/7 pickup, speed, no waiting | Carrier with dense locker coverage; locker selector at checkout; parcel size limits |
| Pickup points / parcel shops | Flexibility, larger parcels, returns drop-off | Location selector at checkout; local network coverage |
| Cash on delivery | Trust, payment preference | Carrier COD service, payout terms, order confirmation, refusal management |
| Express / next day | Urgency, gifting | Late cut-off, carrier service, clear promise at checkout |
| Returns options | Easy returns increase purchase confidence | Local return drop-off, label or label-less options |
How to map preferences per market
- Look at your own data: where orders come from, failed deliveries, customer service contacts about delivery.
- Check which options competitors and the leading local shops offer at checkout in each country.
- Use published shopper surveys from postal associations and carriers as a guide, but confirm them against your own customers.
- Ask carriers for coverage per option (locker and pickup-point density, postcode coverage) in your target regions.
- Decide a "must have", "nice to have" and "not needed" list per country.
Getting it into checkout
- Show the most popular local option first, with price and expected delivery date.
- Use a map or list selector for lockers and pickup points, fed by the carrier's location data.
- Respect parcel size limits for lockers; route larger items to pickup points or home delivery.
- Send the choice through to the carrier label correctly, and test it end to end.
- Measure conversion, delivery success and cost per option after launch.
A note on cash on delivery
COD can lift conversion where shoppers expect it, but it brings refusals, unclaimed parcels and slower cash flow. It needs order confirmation, good notifications and close management of the carrier's COD fees and payout terms. See reducing COD refusals in Central and Eastern Europe.
Testing a new option
Adding a delivery option is a product change, so treat it like one. Launch the new option in one country first, keep everything else the same, and compare a few weeks before and after: checkout conversion, share of orders choosing the option, delivery success, delivery time, cost per order and customer contacts. If lockers or pickup points take a large share quickly, customers were waiting for them. If almost nobody chooses them, they may be badly presented at checkout or the coverage may be too thin.
Also check the operational side: does the warehouse print the right label, does the carrier receive the chosen locker or point correctly, and do notifications reach the customer in their language? Most failed launches of out-of-home delivery fail here, not in the customer's choice.
Who this is for, and who it isn't
A good fit
- Brands entering new European markets
- Brands with low conversion or high failed delivery in some countries
- Carriers designing their product for a new market
Not a good fit
- You need checkout software built from scratch
- Domestic-only shops in one market
- Market research reports without a delivery decision behind them
How I help
The European Delivery Network Blueprint (from €1,250) starts exactly here: what customers should get in each market, then which carriers and services deliver it, at what cost, and what changes in checkout and operations.
In international product development at Hermes I integrated a large part of its European PUDO offering and built home delivery, pickup-point and locker propositions across European markets, working with networks such as InPost, Mondial Relay, PostNL, PostNord and Correos.
Questions
Should we offer lockers in every country?
No. Offer them where shoppers use them and coverage is good. In some countries they're essential; in others few customers choose them.
Is COD still worth offering?
In some markets, yes, because a real share of shoppers won't buy without it. Elsewhere it adds cost and risk for little benefit. Decide per country with your own data.
Does offering more options increase cost?
Each option adds integration and management effort, and prices differ by service. Out-of-home delivery is often cheaper per parcel than home delivery. Offer the options that move conversion or reduce failed deliveries.
Free discovery call
Expanding in Europe? Decide the delivery options per market
30 minutes, no cost. Bring your lanes, volumes and questions; you leave with a clear next step, whether or not we work together.