Same-Day Delivery: Is It Worth It for Online Stores? (2026)

Amazon delivers same-day in more than 70 German cities. At the same time, DHL, Hermes and DPD discontinued their same-day offers for merchants years ago, and Swiss Post closed its same-day service in 2025. For merchants, this raises an uncomfortable question: do we have to keep up, or is same-day delivery an expensive promise that hardly anyone pays for?

Most articles on the topic come from delivery services and app providers. They describe how same-day works, not whether it pays off. This guide is vendor-neutral and written for online stores and D2C brands in the DACH region with €500,000 to €50 million in revenue. It shows what customers really want according to current studies, what same-day costs, who it pays off for and which alternative delivers more for most stores.

The short answer

For most mid-sized online stores, same-day delivery does not pay off. Only a small share of customers expect or pay for delivery on the same day, and the extra cost per shipment is high. A reliable next-day delivery with a late order cut-off and a concrete delivery date at checkout usually delivers more.

The exception is merchants with stock in the city, meaning stores or an urban warehouse, an urgent product range and a sufficient basket value. For them, same-day can work as a paid option in a clearly defined delivery area, for example via on-demand courier services.

Terms: what same-day really means

In everyday use, several delivery promises get mixed up. Anyone discussing “same-day” internally should first clarify which one is meant:

Term	Meaning	Typical example
Same-day shipping	Dispatch on the order day, delivery usually the next day	Order by 2 pm, shipped the same day
Next-day delivery	Delivery on the next working day	Standard of the major parcel carriers in Germany
Time-definite express	Next-day delivery by a fixed time	Express products from DHL, DPD, GLS
Same-day delivery	Delivery on the order day, usually afternoon or evening	Order by late morning, delivered by 9 pm
Instant or on-demand	Delivery within one to two hours	Courier run from a store
Quick commerce	Own warehouses with a limited range, delivery in minutes	Grocery delivery services

This article covers same-day delivery and instant delivery, i.e. delivery on the order day. If you only want to check whether you can still ship on the same day, that is a question of warehouse processes. See the guides to fulfilment and e-commerce KPIs.

What customers really want

Public debate suggests that customers demand ever faster delivery. The data paints a more nuanced picture:

According to a 2025 YouGov survey, 51 % of German online shoppers expect delivery within three to five days. Only 2 % consider same-day the appropriate delivery time.
In the same survey, fast delivery matters to 66 % when choosing a store, and 42 % would pay more for faster delivery. The share is higher among younger customers.
Around 80 % say free shipping matters. 65 % sometimes increase their basket to reach the free shipping threshold.
According to the 2026 delivery survey by shipping software provider Sendcloud, a large majority of respondents prefer free shipping over paid next-day delivery. A concrete delivery date at checkout is well received.

Demand for same-day depends heavily on the product range. In a YouGov survey commissioned by a same-day provider, same-day delivery mattered most for pharmacy products, groceries and gifts, and much less for electronics and household goods. Because the client has a vested interest, read these figures as a trend.

Why the major parcel carriers pulled out

Same-day delivery has already been tried in Germany, by the largest logistics companies:

Year	Event	Reason or significance
2016	McKinsey forecasts a 20 to 25 % market share for same-day and instant delivery by 2025	This expectation was clearly missed
2019	DPD discontinues its same-day offer	Insufficient demand
2020	DHL and Hermes discontinue same-day	Demand far below expectations, lack of willingness to pay
2021	Hermes shuts down its same-day service Liefery	Focus on later handover for next-day delivery
2024	Getir and Gorillas withdraw from Germany	Quick commerce not profitable without sufficient density
2025	Swiss Post discontinues its same-day service notime	Demand below expectations, lack of willingness to pay, losses
2025	Amazon expands same-day in Germany to more than 70 cities	High density through its own logistics network and Prime subscription

The pattern is clear: same-day only pays off with high density, meaning many deliveries per area and hour. Amazon achieves this density through its own logistics network and millions of Prime customers. A mid-sized store with a central warehouse does not. The parcel carriers therefore invested in later handover for next-day delivery instead of same-day.

Providers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Anyone who wants to offer same-day today needs different partners from the classic parcel carriers:

Parcel carriers: The express products of DHL, DPD and GLS today are generally next-day deliveries by a fixed time, not same-day delivery. Clarify with sales whether special solutions are available for your contract.
On-demand courier services: According to its own information, Uber Direct delivers from €7.90 per delivery within a radius of up to 10 kilometres, for shipments up to 10 kilograms, within two hours or scheduled on the same day. Wolt Drive offers a similar model with a fixed price per order in Germany and Austria; its terms are not public.
Local courier and cargo bike networks: In many cities, regional couriers offer same-day delivery, often with a morning cut-off.
Switzerland: With SameDay Swiss, Swiss Post offers evening delivery for business customers from a list price of CHF 29.50 excluding VAT. According to Swiss Post, regular volumes and a franking licence are required.
Austria: Austrian Post offers Sunday delivery for online merchants in several cities for a surcharge. We did not find a public same-day product for business customers.

What same-day costs: the cost model

The key question is not what same-day costs but whether the extra costs are covered by the surcharge and additional orders. The formula:

Extra cost per same-day shipment ≤ customer surcharge + contribution margin of additional orders won

A worked example with assumptions:

Item	Assumption	Value
Average order value	Assumption	€80
Contribution margin per order after marketing	25 % of order value	€20
Extra cost of same-day versus standard shipping	Courier run minus standard shipping saved	€8
Surcharge paid by the customer	Assumption	€4.90
Uncovered cost per same-day shipment	€8 minus €4.90	€3.10
Uncovered cost for 100 same-day shipments	100 × €3.10	€310
Additional orders needed to cover it	€310 divided by €20 contribution margin	approx. 16

In this example, same-day needs to generate around 16 orders per 100 same-day orders that would not have happened without the offer. That is a high bar, because many same-day customers would also have bought with standard shipping. The calculation also does not yet include the extra warehouse effort from an early cut-off, a second picking wave or same-day collection.

Levers that improve the calculation:

Minimum order value for same-day
Tiered surcharge by basket value
Evening delivery instead of instant, because runs can be bundled
Limited delivery area with high order density
Limited range, for example only urgent products

For calculating the contribution margin, see the contribution margin glossary entry, and for basket value the average order value entry.

Who same-day pays off for: the decision framework

Same-day is an option for specific situations, not a standard. Check these criteria:

Criterion	Speaks for same-day	Speaks against
Stock	Stores or urban warehouse in the target cities	Only a central warehouse outside metropolitan areas
Order density	Large share of orders from a few postcode areas	Orders spread across the whole country
Range	Urgent needs: health, spare parts, gifts, events	Planned purchases without time pressure
Basket and margin	High basket value, good margin	Small basket, tight margin
Inventory accuracy	Stock per location is reliable	Stock is often wrong
Competition	Local competitors already deliver same-day	No competitor offers it
Parcel size	Small, light shipments	Bulky or heavy goods

If most criteria fall in the right-hand column, you are better off investing in the alternative in the next section.

The better alternative for most stores: getting next-day right

The major parcel carriers already deliver a large share of parcels the next day. For most stores, the biggest lever is therefore not even faster delivery, but using this speed reliably and communicating it clearly:

Later cut-off: Check with your carrier how late you can hand over. Every hour later increases the share of orders that arrive the next day.
Same-day shipping: Ship every order received by the cut-off on the same day. This is a promise to your warehouse, not to a courier.
Concrete delivery date at checkout: Show “Expected delivery on Thursday, 22 October” instead of “2 to 4 working days”.
Measure reliability: Track how many orders actually arrive on the stated day and fix bottlenecks.
Tracking and proactive information: Inform customers about delays before they ask.

These measures affect all customers, not just one delivery area, and they usually cost less than a same-day infrastructure. How delivery information at checkout reduces drop-offs is covered in the guides to checkout optimisation and cart abandonment.

Ship from store: same-day for retailers with stores

For retailers with stores, the maths looks different. The stock is already in the city, and an on-demand courier can collect an order directly from the store. According to press reports, MediaMarktSaturn has offered delivery within 90 minutes in many German cities via Uber Direct since 2024.

Prerequisites:

Reliable store stock: Without accurate stock per store, cancellations follow.
Picking in store: Staff must be able to process orders between customer conversations.
Sales attribution: The store should get credit for processing online orders, otherwise motivation drops.
Automatic routing to the right store: Each order must go automatically to the nearest store with stock.

For many retailers with stores, click & collect is the cheaper entry point: the customer collects on the same day, with no courier costs at all. For more on inventory accuracy, sales attribution and the right order of services, see the guide to unified commerce.

Implementation in Shopify

With local delivery, Shopify offers a built-in foundation:

Delivery areas per location by postcode or radius
Minimum order value and delivery price per area, optionally tiered by order value
A free Shopify app for route planning with your own drivers
Routing of orders to the nearest location with stock if you use several locations

According to the Shopify Help Center, some limitations apply that you should know before launch:

Customers cannot choose a delivery date or time slot. You need an additional app for that.
With accelerated checkouts, local delivery is only offered with Shop Pay, not with Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal.
The selected location must have the entire order in stock; splitting across locations is not possible.

Shopify does not organise the courier run itself. You need your own drivers or a courier service with an integration. At the time of our research, Uber Direct’s Shopify app had only been announced for Shopify Plus and selected countries. Check availability for Germany in the Shopify App Store.

Legal framework: what to consider with same-day

The following points relate to German law:

Advertising “delivered today”: A shortened delivery claim in advertising can be permissible if the cut-off and exceptions are stated clearly and in good time. The German Federal Court of Justice ruled this in 2011 for the claim “within 24 hours”. State the cut-off, delivery area, delivery days and affected items close to the claim. If same-day is only possible in certain cities, the advertising must not give the impression of nationwide delivery.
Delivery time becomes part of the contract: In online retail you must state by when you will deliver, and this statement becomes part of the contract. A same-day promise is therefore a contractual commitment, not a non-binding intention.
Show the surcharge clearly: Additional shipping costs must be stated before the order, for example in the shipping cost overview and at checkout.
Withdrawal: If a customer chooses a more expensive delivery method than the cheapest standard delivery offered, you only have to refund the cost of standard delivery on withdrawal, not the same-day surcharge.
Late delivery: What applies if a paid same-day delivery arrives late depends on the individual case. Many merchants voluntarily refund the surcharge, which builds trust and can be communicated as a guarantee.
Sundays: In Germany, parcel delivery on Sundays and public holidays is generally not permitted. Same-day promises should explicitly exclude these days.
Contracting couriers directly: If you contract courier drivers or subcontractors directly, questions arise about minimum wage and liability for social security contributions. Have this checked before launch.

Sustainability: fast is not automatically bad

Fast delivery is considered harmful to the climate. That is mainly true for single runs: a courier delivering a single order within an hour causes far more vehicle kilometres per parcel than a bundled route. Studies and analyses show that vehicle utilisation and bundling are decisive, not speed as such.

A bundled evening delivery from an urban warehouse or store, for example by cargo bike, can therefore compete with standard shipping. In Germany, according to the BAFA guideline, e-cargo bikes are subsidised until 30 June 2027 at 25 % of the purchase cost, up to €3,500 per bike. The application must be submitted before purchase.

Test instead of guessing: checking same-day in 8 weeks

If your decision framework points to same-day, test it on a small scale first:

Choose a delivery area: A city or a few postcode areas with high order density and stock nearby.
Offer it as a paid option: Same-day alongside standard shipping, with a surcharge and, if needed, a minimum order value.
Measure beforehand: Record conversion rate, average order value and repeat purchase rate in the test area before launch.
Run it for 6 to 8 weeks: Measure the same values, plus the share of customers choosing same-day and the actual cost per delivery.
Compare with a control area: A similar area without same-day shows whether changes are really due to the offer.
Decide: Run the result through the model above. Expand, adjust or stop.

A test is cheaper than a rollout and protects against a costly wrong decision. How to measure the conversion rate correctly is explained in the glossary.

Checklist: same-day yes or no?

FAQ

What is same-day delivery?

Same-day delivery means an order is delivered on the day it is placed, usually with a morning or midday cut-off and delivery in the afternoon or evening. It differs from same-day shipping, where goods are dispatched on the order day and usually arrive the next day.

Is same-day delivery worth it for online merchants?

For most online stores with a central warehouse, no, because few customers expect or pay for same-day and the extra cost per shipment is high. For merchants with stock in the city, an urgent range and a sufficient basket value, it can pay off as a paid option in a limited delivery area.

Does DHL still offer same-day delivery in Germany?

DHL, Hermes and DPD discontinued their same-day offers for merchants in Germany between 2019 and 2021. The parcel carriers’ current express products are generally next-day deliveries by a fixed time. Clarify possible special solutions with sales.

How much does same-day delivery cost?

It depends on the provider, city and distance. On-demand courier services such as Uber Direct quote prices from €7.90 per delivery. Swiss Post quotes a list price from CHF 29.50 for evening delivery for business customers. Get concrete quotes for your target areas.

Can I offer same-day delivery with Shopify?

Yes, via local delivery with delivery areas by postcode or radius, minimum order value and prices per area. You organise the run itself with your own drivers or a courier service. For choosing a delivery date or time slot, you need an additional app.

Do I have to refund the same-day surcharge on withdrawal?

No. If the customer chose a more expensive delivery method than the cheapest standard delivery offered, you only have to refund the cost of standard delivery on withdrawal.

What should I consider when advertising same-day delivery?

State the cut-off, delivery area, delivery days and affected items close to the claim. Advertising must not promise delivery that is only possible in certain areas or for certain items. Have specific wording legally reviewed.

Is same-day delivery bad for the environment?

Single runs for individual orders cause far more vehicle kilometres per parcel than bundled routes. Bundled evening deliveries within the city, for example by cargo bike, can compete with standard shipping. Utilisation is what matters.

What is the best alternative to same-day delivery?

For most stores, it is reliable next-day delivery with a late cut-off, dispatch on the order day and a concrete delivery date at checkout. For retailers with stores, same-day click & collect is often the cheaper entry point.

Conclusion: reliability beats speed

For most online stores, same-day delivery is not a competitive advantage but a cost risk. The major parcel carriers and Swiss Post have experienced this themselves in recent years. Customers mainly want reliable delivery at low shipping costs and a clear statement of when their parcel will arrive. Delivering on that consistently wins more than an expensive same-day offer.

For merchants with stores or an urban warehouse, an urgent range and a high basket value, same-day can still work: as a paid option in a limited area and after a proper test. The decision should be based on your own figures, not on a comparison with Amazon.

Same-Day Delivery: Is It Worth It for Your Online Store?