DHL eCommerce's fifth annual E-Commerce Trends Report found that 67% of shoppers abandon carts over the delivery offering while only 52% of businesses think delivery drives abandonment. PPC Land reported the study on 3 August 2026.
Weigh the source before the number. DHL eCommerce sells delivery services, and the finding leading its own report is that merchants underestimate delivery. Every figure is self-reported survey data gathered by DHL's research, not audited measurement. That does not make the numbers wrong, but the delivery row earns more scepticism than the rows that cost DHL nothing.
What DHL surveyed, and when
The 78-page report, fronted by DHL eCommerce chief executive Pablo Ciano with commentary from applied futurist Tom Cheesewright, draws on 29,000 shoppers across 29 countries at 1,000 per market and 5,800 businesses across 28 countries. Fieldwork ran from 15 December 2025 to 11 February 2026, putting the data roughly six months behind publication. PPC Land did not publish the country list, the margin of error, or how "app-first" was defined.
The cart-abandonment gap, all nine causes
DHL asked shoppers why they abandon carts and businesses what they think drives it. Both columns are DHL's figures; the bracketed gap is subtraction between them, not a separate DHL statistic.
| Reason for abandoning | Shoppers | Businesses (gap) |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery offering | 67% | 52% (15 points) |
| Out of stock | 65% | 61% (4 points) |
| Unexpected customs or tax | 63% | 45% (18 points) |
| Payment method unavailable | 62% | 45% (17 points) |
| Returns offering | 58% | 46% (12 points) |
| Invalid discount code | 57% | 39% (18 points) |
| Complicated checkout | 54% | 31% (23 points) |
| Slow site | 51% | 36% (15 points) |
| Missing security badges | 48% | 31% (17 points) |
The rows that do not sell freight are the more interesting ones
The delivery row DHL put in its headline has only the fourth-smallest gap in the table. The largest belongs to complicated checkout, 54% of shoppers against 31% of businesses. Invalid discount codes sit at 57% against 39%, missing security badges at 48% against 31%. None of those sell a delivery contract, which is why they carry less commercial weight for DHL and more diagnostic weight for a merchant, and all are fixable in a merchant's own checkout. Cheesewright, quoted by PPC Land: "The information gap between retailer and customer has reversed."
Channel gaps, and the caveat the ad numbers need
DHL reported four channel mismatches. App-first shopping was claimed by 72% of shoppers while 38% of businesses offer an app. Social selling ran the other way, 45% against 63%. Paid advertising influenced 37% of shoppers by their own account while 67% of businesses produce it, and influencer partnerships came in at 34% against 57%.
The paid-ads and influencer numbers need reading carefully. They are shoppers' self-reported perception of what influenced them, not measured attribution. People routinely understate how much advertising shaped a purchase, because the ad that created awareness is rarely what anyone recalls at checkout. So 37% is evidence about what shoppers say, not that paid ads underperform, and cutting budget on the strength of it misreads the instrument. The app and social gaps are firmer ground, being questions about behaviour rather than causation.
AI, seasonal promotions and cross-border
DHL found 38% of shoppers use AI tools against 35% of businesses offering them, and 29% would delegate purchasing to AI within five years. Seasonal promotion is where merchants overshoot hardest: Christmas and New Year drew 66% of shoppers against 90% of businesses promoting, Black Friday and Cyber Monday 41% against 84%. Cross-border buying reached 70% of shoppers, up from 60% in 2025.
The Thailand figures, exactly as DHL reported them
Two Thai data points are sourced rather than inferred. DHL found Thailand leads weekly international shopping at 34%, and its Southeast Asian regional data includes Malaysia at 96% and Thailand at 93% on TikTok.
Those are the only Thailand-specific numbers available. DHL published no country-level splits for cart abandonment, channel influence, AI use or seasonal promotion, so no Thai figure exists for the 67% delivery finding, and deriving one from the global average would be guesswork.
What this means for Thai marketers
What follows is analysis built on DHL's figures, not a claim DHL made about Thailand. Thailand leading weekly cross-border shopping at 34% cuts two ways: it confirms demand for overseas merchants selling into Thailand, and it means a Thai brand's own customers are already comfortable buying from abroad. Against that, unexpected customs or tax sits at 63% among shoppers and 45% among businesses in DHL's global data, the cost of cross-border demand nobody prices into their checkout. Showing landed cost before the payment step is a checkout change rather than a logistics project, and retailers running an ecommerce marketing programme on paid traffic will find it lifts every campaign at once.
The 93% TikTok figure is the other one to act on. It says a Thai audience is on the platform, not that any content or ad format works there, and DHL published nothing about conversion. Discovery volume exists and the job is to earn it, which is where SEO in Thailand compounds while paid costs do not.
Questions merchants are asking about this study
Is the 67% delivery finding independent?
No. It comes from DHL eCommerce, which sells delivery services, in a report whose headline claim is that merchants undervalue delivery. The survey was run by DHL's own research, every figure is self-reported, and PPC Land reported no independent verification. It may still be accurate, but it is a vendor study.
Does the report give Thailand-specific cart abandonment numbers?
No. DHL published only two Thailand figures: 34% for weekly international shopping, and 93% on TikTok within its Southeast Asian regional data. Country-level splits for cart abandonment and every other metric were not published.
Does 37% mean paid advertising is not working?
No, and reading it that way misuses the number. It is the share of shoppers who say advertising influenced them, which is perception rather than measured attribution. Self-reported ad influence runs consistently below measured influence, because awareness-stage exposure is not what people recall at purchase. Attribution data answers the performance question; this survey does not.
How current is the data?
Fieldwork ran from 15 December 2025 to 11 February 2026, so responses were roughly six months old when PPC Land reported on 3 August 2026. A full peak season has passed since, which matters most for the seasonal and AI figures.
The short version
A delivery company found that merchants underrate delivery, which is worth noting and worth discounting. The rows that do not serve DHL's commercial interest are the ones to act on, and the widest gap is complicated checkout at 54% against 31%. For Thailand, two figures are sourced: 34% shopping internationally each week and 93% on TikTok. The study is covered in PPC Land's write-up. If your abandonment rate is a mystery, the cheapest place to look is not the carrier contract but the screens before the payment button.
