December 16 marked “Free Shipping Day,” but just how fast or slow are eTailers’ shipping services overall? This year STELLAService, an independent company which rates eTailers’ customer service performance, tested the shipping speed of the Internet’s top 25 retailers. STELLAService ordered six products via standard shipping during November and December 2011, sending two items from each retailer to the West Coast, Midwest and East Coast. Six retailers delivered the packages before their estimated delivery times. Of those, Zappos.com ranked the fastest, with an average shipping time of two days. The study showed eight retailers with an average shipping time of three days or less. Retailers ranking among the top eight fastest retailers included Amazon.com, Dell.com, HPshopping.com and JCPenney.com. Three of the top 25 retailers studied had average shipping times of more than five days. The study also showed that delivery times differed based on location; on a whole, the West Coast experienced the slowest delivery times, with an average of 3.7 days, while the East Coast had the fastest deliveries, at 3.4 days.
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