How To Get 99% On-Time Delivery for eCommerce Businesses in 2025?

In eCommerce, late deliveries don't just cost money—they erode customer trust. A single missed package can lead to refund requests, negative reviews, or churn. While many brands still rely on delivery networks that only hit 85–90% on-time performance, modern shipping expectations demand more.

That’s where FirstMile comes in.

As a flexible eCommerce shipping carrier, FirstMile provides brands and 3PLs with the tools, infrastructure, and data to achieve their own performance goals: including 99% on-time delivery when that’s the target.

You define the delivery outcome. FirstMile makes it possible (even during peak season).

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Stop Settling. Start Choosing Your Delivery Performance

You’ve seen the promises: “2-day shipping guaranteed.” But what’s the actual on-time percentage behind that claim?

• 88%?
• 91%?
• 93%? If you're lucky, and shipping within select ZIP codes.

Here's the truth: most shipping systems weren't built to prioritize your goals. They were designed to move volume through rigid, fixed networks.

At FirstMile, we flip that model on its head. Instead of forcing you to adapt to the system, we've built a system that adapts to you. Want to hit a 99% on-time SLA? You can. Want to focus on cost control while maintaining 92% on-time performance? That’s possible too.

That's what we call shipping without limits.

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Performance You Can Customize, Powered by Xparcel

Xparcel is FirstMile’s patented ship method. It’s built to do one thing: dynamically route each shipment to meet your business goals. Every label is embedded with your performance rules.

Our system evaluates in real time:

• Historical carrier performance by ZIP
• Service level (1–3, 2–5, 3–8 days)
• Package dimensions and weight
• Network reliability and congestion
• Cost thresholds and business preferences

This is not a fixed carrier plan. It’s dynamic carrier routing built for precision and scale.

And unlike other solutions that require complex integrations or multi-carrier juggling, FirstMile keeps it simple.

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One Label. One Pickup. One Invoice

Traditionally, achieving a 99% SLA would involve adding complexity through new integrations, multiple pickups, and ongoing audits. But with FirstMile, your logistics stays simple:

• One label: Your rules baked in, with no manual routing.
• One pickup: We collect every package, no matter the destination or final-mile partner.
• One invoice: All shipments and carriers consolidated into a single, clear, and accurate bill.

Whether you’re aiming for shipping SLA consistency or shipping optimization, it’s all handled through a single system.

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Case Study: Achieving 99% On-Time Performance in Q4

A well-known mid-sized health and wellness brand based in Texas approached us with a challenge: they needed to achieve a 2–5 day delivery window for 99% of their shipments during the busy Q4 peak season. Unfortunately, their existing carrier consistently fell short, with on-time performance dropping below 90% during peak times.

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Goal: Achieve a 2–5 day delivery window for 99% of their shipments during the busy Q4 peak season.

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By partnering with FirstMile, the brand set ambitious goals focused specifically on improving delivery performance for East Coast ZIP codes, where delays were common, all while staying within budget. Here's how we effectively optimized and implemented customizable shipping performance.

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What We Did:

• Routed low-risk shipments from the West and Midwest through Xparcel Ground to achieve cost savings.
• Upgraded at-risk East Coast shipments to Xparcel Expedited service.
• Managed all routing dynamically in the background.

Results:

"98.7% on-time performance nationwide during the peak season, which included Black Friday and Christmas."

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Together, we successfully helped the brand achieve an impressive 98.7% on-time performance nationwide during the peak season, which included Black Friday and Christmas. Importantly, no changes were required for the brand's existing warehouse operations; all adjustments were handled dynamically through FirstMile’s infrastructure-backed shipping technology.

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How FirstMile Delivers Consistency at Scale Through Infrastructure and Technology

FirstMile isn’t a label aggregator or software tool. We’re a true eCommerce logistics carrier—with the infrastructure to back it up.

• TSA and IAC-certified sortation hub in Salt Lake City
• Multi-million-dollar sorting equipment across national hubs
• Air and ground linehaul fleet with regional and national reach
• ZIP-level delivery logic powered by real-time performance data

Our expanded delivery network provides you with the flexibility to meet high Service Level Agreements (SLAs) without compromising on savings or simplicity.

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Nationwide Sorting and Routing

From SLC and LAX to Pennsylvania and Georgia, our hubs are equipped with high-powered sortation systems that process packages by speed, weight, and service class. Whether you're shipping under 1 lb. or managing bulk freight, we’ve got the infrastructure to handle it.

Dynamic Delivery Logic

If a ZIP code’s performance drops, our system routes around it. If fuel costs spike in a region, we shift to a more cost-effective path without compromising your SLA. That’s shipping that adapts to you.

No Trade-Offs Required

With FirstMile, you don’t have to choose between:

• Speed and savings
• Simplicity and scalability
• Cost control and customer satisfaction

Our Xparcel service tiers are designed for flexibility:

• Xparcel Priority: 1–3 day delivery
• Xparcel Expedited: 2–5 days
• Xparcel Ground: 3–8 days

You determine your ideal balance between cost and service performance, and our system will implement it in real-time.

Returns That Fit the Model

FirstMile also simplifies returns through Xparcel Returns, which lets you:

• Offer on-demand QR codes or printable labels
• Only pay when a return is actually used
• Eliminate the cost of unused return labels

This keeps your return experience smooth, low-cost, and aligned with customer expectations.

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Read our blog: Tips for Managing Returns in eCommerce

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Smarter Tech. Smarter Shipping.

Every shipment is evaluated at the label level to make sure it meets your goals. That includes:

• ZIP-level carrier reliability
• Zone skipping to reduce costs
• Automated fallback logic for disruption-proof routing
• Pre-invoicing error detection via Audit Queue

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Why This Matters

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For Brands

Your customers don’t care which carrier delivers the package—they just want it on time. With FirstMile, you stay in control of how fast, how reliable, and how cost-effective that delivery is.

For 3PLs

Managing different brands and shipping profiles is easier when you have one system, one pickup, and one SLA engine that adapts to each customer’s needs.

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You Set the Target. We Help You Hit It.

Whether you’re aiming for 99% on-time delivery or optimizing for budget, FirstMile helps you ship with confidence.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Define your shipping performance goals
2. The FirstMile team will help analyze your current shipping strategy and apply ZIP-level routing logic to see how we can optimize your shipping
3. You ship smarter, we'll handle the logistics/rest

No extra tech investment, no complicated onboarding, no reworked ops—just smarter, customizable shipping that puts you in control.

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Ready to Ship Smarter?

Shipping performance shouldn’t be out of your control. With FirstMile, you don’t chase it. You choose it. Let’s make 99% your new normal, talk to one of our shipping specialist today.