by Trustpilot Marketing VP Kate Delaney.
As the summer holidays end and children head back to school, the festive season still feels far away.
But last month, John Lewis opened pre-orders for its 2026 Beauty Advent Calendar – officially marking the start of the ramp up for the retail industry’s busiest season.
Retailers are already preparing their operations for demand spikes, but deliveries often struggle around peak season. Last year, Citizens Advice reported that over 16 million people were hit by postal delays over Christmas. And the impact is long. Trustpilot analysis found that in the UK, 82% of December’s reviews volume continues into January. This isn’t the result of New Year’s shopping, but a flurry of post-holiday returns and exchanges. Retailers that seize the opportunity to use this period as an extension of their retention strategy, rather than a wind-down after a sales spike, can convert return interactions with customers into long-term loyalty.
Delivery is a core brand promise
As consumers, we increasingly judge a retailer not just on what they sell, but on whether they make good on the promises they make. This is even more crucial during peak season, when retailers are managing higher order volumes. Trustpilot data found that, in the UK, next-day delivery is the most complained-about fulfilment service, with an average rating of just 1.74 out of 5 across UK retailers.
Delivery was once considered an operational function. But now it is one of the most scrutinised aspects of the consumer journey. Globally, delivery is the number one topic in reviews for retailers on Trustpilot. This is not just because delivery is important to consumers, but also because it is often the last touchpoint before a consumer leaves the review. This makes fulfilment an integral part of building compelling trust signals which support conversion at all stages of the buying journey.
Speed matters, but reliability matters more
Retailers will always look to gain a competitive edge through delivery speed, often promising next-day or even same-day delivery. But speed only matters if deliveries are reliable.
‘Delivery speed’ generates the most frequent negative reviews globally, and ’lost packages’ has a much greater impact on retailer ratings. Reviews about lost packages have star ratings roughly 0.9-1.0 points lower than ones about delivery speed. So, while fast delivery options matter, it’s most important that parcels arrive on time and as expected. Consumers are far less forgiving when the promise of receiving their purchase is broken.
For retailers, the lesson is not simply to deliver faster. It is to ensure the right operations are in place to handle high volumes of orders while maintaining a reliable and satisfying level of service.
Reviews and feedback trends should be treated as an early-warning system for retailers. They can help identify blind spots where the customer experience is falling short, across delivery services and beyond. Addressing these recurring issues early prevents them from damaging overall satisfaction.
Easy returns are critical to brand reputation
The consumer journey doesn’t end when a parcel arrives; the returns experience is just as important. Easy returns are not simply desirable, they are expected. UK reviews frequently cite “no hassle returns” as a benchmark for an excellent experience.
Trustpilot data shows a weak returns experience is damaging to brand reputation – with global reviews that mention returns linked to a 1.5 to 1.7 star drop. Slow, unreliable refunds create even lower levels of satisfaction than the original delivery costs. Brands should not treat returns as an afterthought, but rather as a way to reinforce consumer trust and support repeat purchasing.
Reviews are the reality check: for consumers, and increasingly, for AI
Consumers frequently admit they “should have read the reviews” after experiencing delivery or quality problems. While product discovery increasingly takes place through social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, consumers are also turning to peer reviews to establish whether products and brands are trustworthy.
AI is now picking up on these same signals that humans value. When consumers ask AI tools which products and services to choose, these systems are increasingly using forums and review websites such as Trustpilot. Trustpilot’s ‘What AI says about you’ report found that brands actively collecting and responding to feedback will get 75 times more AI citations than their ‘invisible’ competitors. In fact, review and trust sites like Trustpilot are now the second most common citation source for AI, thanks to their large banks of authentic customer experiences, which are being updated all the time.
Customer experience no longer just influences whether a shopper makes a repeat purchase. It also influences whether a brand is surfaced by AI to potential new customers, extending the impact of that experience far beyond an individual purchase.
Considering the entire buyer journey
The peak trading period has always been a test for retailers. As John Lewis’ early launch demonstrates, many brands are starting their peak campaigns earlier than ever. But beware of missing the opportunities in the post-purchase experience at the end of peak, where the returns experience can drive repeat custom and positive consumer sentiment to support Q1 trading.
Ultimately, winning this peak season will be about more than securing the sale. Every touchpoint after checkout has the potential to shape the trust and relationship a brand has with its customers, and influence how AI systems perceive and recommend a brand. Retailers that get the entire journey right will be better positioned to remain visible, trusted, and recommended when it matters most.
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