May 13, 2025
Long Delivery Times Killing Sales? Try “Need It Sooner?” Recommendations
Question
We’re a great home textile brand, but due to high demand, some items are occasionally out of stock. Shoppers love our products—until they see the delivery times. It’s hurting our sales.
How can we avoid customer churn caused by long delivery times?
Answer
The simple fix: whenever a shopper looks at a product with a delivery time over two weeks, surface a “Need It Sooner?” block right on the page to recommend similar items that are ready to ship now.
Furniture Fair had this classic problem too.
Totally fair. Who wants to wait three weeks for a coffee table? But here’s the thing: no retailer can stock everything for immediate delivery.
So I rolled out “Need It Sooner?” recommendations.
Now instead of losing the customer, we keep them engaged and guide them toward something they can get fast. No dev work, no fancy logic—just smart merchandising based on urgency.
When delivery estimates run long, customers see ready-to-ship alternatives without having to search