📄 Abstract
This study examined the impact of last-mile delivery (LMD) efficiency on customer satisfaction among online shoppers in India, addressing a critical empirical gap in the context of an emerging market. The primary objective was to determine how the four key dimensions of delivery efficiency Delivery Speed and Reliability, Order Accuracy, Delivery Communication, and Delivery Flexibility individually and collectively influenced customer satisfaction and subsequent behavioural intentions. A descriptive and analytical research design was adopted. Primary data were collected from 337 respondents using a structured, self-administered questionnaire comprising seven sections and fourteen Likert scale items across the four delivery efficiency constructs, plus items measuring customer satisfaction and behavioural intention. Data were analysed using Python (v. 3.x) with Pandas and SciPy libraries. The analytical techniques employed included descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha reliability testing, and Pearson correlation analysis to test three research hypotheses at a significance level of α = 0.05. All three research hypotheses were supported at the 0.05 level of significance. The overall LMD efficiency index was found to have a moderate to strong positive correlation with customer satisfaction (r = 0.612, p < 0.001). Among the individual constructs, Delivery Speed and Reliability emerged as the strongest predictor of satisfaction (r = 0.527), followed by Delivery Flexibility (r = 0.249), Order Accuracy (r = 0.232), and Delivery Communication (r = 0.183). Order Accuracy recorded the highest construct mean (M = 3.938), indicating that respondents rated product fulfilment most positively, while Delivery Speed and Reliability had the lowest mean (M = 3.350), pointing to the most significant service gap. Customer Satisfaction (M = 3.564) was strongly correlated with Behavioural Intention (r = 0.669), confirming the satisfaction-loyalty linkage. Late delivery, difficulty in tracking, and poor communication were the most commonly reported service failures, consistent with the constructs that scored lowest in the study. The study filled a significant gap in the existing literature by providing multi dimensional empirical evidence on last-mile delivery and customer satisfaction in an emerging market context, where infrastructure constraints and consumer expectations differ markedly from those in developed economies. The findings offered actionable insights for Indian e-commerce and logistics operators on prioritising operational improvements that yield the highest marginal gains in customer satisfaction and long-term loyalty.
🏷️ Keywords
📚 How to Cite:
Akshata Siked, Dr Srikanth P , IMPACT OF LAST-MILE DELIVERY EFFICIENCY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION , Volume 12 , Issue 7, July 2026, EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) , Pages: 814 - 823 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra30925