Trust, Transparency, and Customer Experience in Logistics

What research reveals about customer behavior, communication, and loyalty in same-day delivery

Building trust is critical in today’s competitive e-commerce landscape, and research suggests it can lead to prolonged customer loyalty. Since delivery service providers often fill in for retailers on the road, both parties should consider strategies to better serve their customers.

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In a Nutshell:

• Building trust leads to consumer loyalty and ordering intention in last-mile logistics.

• Implementing brand transparent practices can foster greater consumer trust.

• Designing simple mobile apps leads to greater perceived usefulness and consumer loyalty.

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We’ll explore major findings in the logistics industry relating to customer behavior, including research-backed methods to earn and maintain trust.

But first, a few words about trust:

Trust is something we act on every day in both our personal and professional lives. It’s a fundamental aspect of all human relationships, and as a complex blend of logic and emotion, trust enables us to cooperate and create positive experiences with one another.

This holds true in the business world. And although it’s tempting to consider the relationship between a firm and its customer in purely financial terms, this connection is, after all, social.

American author, educator, and businessman Stephen R. Covey defined trust as the “confidence born of the character and the competence of a person or an organization.”

"Trust is confidence born of the character and the competence of a person or an organization.”

Covey saw trust as a measurable economic driver. In other words, by exhibiting integrity and professionalism, businesses could both earn and maintain the trust of customers and ultimately, their loyalty.

As promised, we’ll examine research that supports Covey’s claims about trust, particularly as they relate to last-mile logistics. These findings will shed light on ways that delivery service platforms and retailers can foster trust and shape the consumer experience.

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Transparency and Communication

Our first word of advice: Don’t keep your customers in the dark.

Research suggests that customers expect full transparency from the moment an order is placed, and how well firms communicate throughout this process can determine levels of trust, loyalty, and satisfaction.

It may seem obvious, but parcel tracking is an effective — and simple — way to offer more transparency to customers.

Evidence from a recent study suggests that last-mile delivery services that allow their customers to track packages in real time may in turn see greater customer loyalty. Drawing from a survey of online shoppers in Southeast Asia, the researchers found parcel tracking to be a primary driver of customer satisfaction.

Parcel tracking is a primary driver of customer satisfaction.

Another factor to consider is brand transparency.

Brand transparency refers to the degree to which a company honestly communicates with its customers. This could include products, services, pricing, or even company values and practices. In any case, customers resonate strongly with companies that have a commitment to honesty and authenticity.

For example, a study investigating food delivery apps after the pandemic found that brand transparency has a profound impact on consumer trust and ordering intention — the likelihood a customer will buy a product or service.

In this context, it’s important to remember that delivery service providers and their customers share an imbalanced relationship; customers operate with less information because they are on the receiving end of a product or service. By sharing hidden information and reducing uncertainty, companies can build trust and a competitive advantage with their customers.

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Technology and Accessibility

We’ve covered how delivery service providers can better communicate with their customers to facilitate trust. Now, let’s consider where this communication takes place: the smartphone.

Today, smartphones have become synonymous with gig platforms, like Grubhub and DoorDash, and as a result, customers expect accessible app-based services and speedy delivery (no matter what time of day). But this trend goes beyond fast food and groceries alone.

E-commerce is increasingly mobile, and virtually all major retailers offer mobile apps for their services. Last year, for example, mobile devices accounted for the largest share of online orders, and 80% of web traffic to all retail sites came from smartphones.

Smartphones made up 80% of all web traffic to retail websites in 2025.

Mobile apps, in this case, are now an expectation of customers rather than a luxury. However, not all apps are created equally.

Research suggests that simplicity is key to launching successful mobile apps and earning greater customer loyalty.

A 2022 study examining mobile food delivery apps found that users are more likely to adopt these services when they have greater perceived ease of use and usefulness. Simply put, if an app is easy to use, customers will see it as more useful.

On the other hand, poor user interfaces can ruin the experience for customers on these mobile apps. This could include issues like slow performance, complex navigation, and lack of accessibility.

If your business currently hosts a mobile app, take a minute to navigate its products and services. Then ask yourself the following questions: How would you rate your experience? Was the app easy to use? Did you hit any roadblocks?

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Final Thoughts

Trust is an indispensable part of the delivery experience. In many cases, developing strategies to build trust with customers can mean the difference between a single transaction and a lifelong customer.

Take the advice of researchers: Communicating your brand openly and honestly and providing simplified interactions for customers can lead to greater loyalty and ordering intention. For your business, this may mean developing an intuitive app or implementing real-time status updates on orders.

Last-mile logistics will only become more competitive as consumers expect faster delivery and mobile services. By implementing the research-backed methods discussed above, retailers and firms can stand out.