Reducing NDR and RTO: How Conversational journeys Are Boosting eCommerce Delivery Success Rates

One cannot debate this—trying to grow a D2C brand in 2025 without automation is like baking without an oven. Every click and question is a chance to increase sales—and if you’re not ready, someone else will be. So, sticking to old methods like limited-hour call centers or static websites with endless forms just won’t cut it anymore. In recent years, e-commerce, especially D2C businesses, has transformed how consumers connect with brands.

However, ensuring secure and timely delivery remains a critical pain point for e-commerce businesses. The statistics tell a compelling story: A KPMG study shows that return shipments can make up to 20% of all orders, increasing to 40% for cash-on-delivery (COD) purchases. Additionally, 24% of online shoppers abandon their carts due to delivery date issues. If left unaddressed, these challenges can quickly escalate into missed opportunities and significant losses, not to forget their impact on profit margins and customer lifetime value.

This is where Gupshup’s DeliverPlus steps in—a comprehensive solution powered by AI agents that enables eCommerce businesses to dramatically reduce non-delivery rates (NDR) and return-to-origin (RTO) instances through proactive, intelligent conversations across multiple channels.

The High Cost of Delivery Failures

For eCommerce businesses, every failed delivery represents more than just a logistical hiccup—it’s a financial drain and perhaps a lost sale and customer. The reasons for these failures are varied and complex:

Common Causes of Undelivered Orders

1. Incorrect or Incomplete Addresses: Customers often make mistakes when entering delivery information, making it difficult for delivery agents to locate them.

2. Fake Delivery Attempts: Some delivery personnel mark attempted deliveries without actually making them, severely damaging customer experience.

3. Customer-Initiated Rejections: Customers opting for Cash On Delivery (COD) may change their minds about orders, especially when deliveries are delayed or packages appear damaged.

4. Customer Unavailability: Sometimes recipients simply aren’t home or contactable when delivery is attempted.

5. Rescheduling Requests: Upon receiving notification, customers might request delivery at a later, more convenient time.

Each failed delivery sets off a chain reaction: increased operational costs, inventory inefficiencies, customer service overhead, and potential customer churn. The financial impact is substantial, with many eCommerce businesses seeing their profitability significantly eroded by high return rates.

DeliverPlus: A Proactive Approach to Delivery Management

Gupshup’s DeliverPlus tackles these challenges through a novel approach: proactive communication at every stage of the delivery journey. By engaging customers through their preferred channels before problems arise, DeliverPlus dramatically improves delivery success rates.

How DeliverPlus Works Across the Delivery Journey

1. Order Placement Stage

• Detects high-risk orders early through AI analysis
• Verifies delivery addresses before shipping
• Facilitates conversion of COD orders to prepaid/partial COD to reduce payment-related rejections
• Enables secure payment collection through integrated gateways

2. Out-for-Delivery Stage

• Provides real-time shipment updates with intelligent channel failover
• Offers executive tracking for high-value shipments
• Sends address issue notifications with correction options
• Asks for the location on the map
• Confirms availability for orders that require physical presence like fresh produce, frozen items, or high-value goods

3. When Delivery Fails

• Tracks undelivered orders in real-time
• Reaches out to customers via relevant channels to record delivery preferences
• Facilitates quick resolution by asking for new delivery slots on conversational interfaces

4. Return Management

• Streamlines return requests and scheduling
• Manages product exchanges efficiently
• Facilitates redelivery attempts
• Reinitiates pickup processing
• Offers video troubleshooting and image-based returns verification
• Provides transparent refund tracking

The Power of Omnichannel Communication

What sets DeliverPlus apart is its comprehensive communication strategy across WhatsApp, SMS, RCS, and Voice (IVR). This omnichannel approach ensures customers are reached regardless of their communication preferences, significantly improving engagement rates.

Key Use Cases

1. Address and Order Verification

DeliverPlus proactively engages customers to verify contact details, confirm orders, and capture cancellations before shipping even begins. This intervention alone dramatically reduces RTO rates by identifying problematic deliveries before they enter the logistics pipeline.

2. Real-Time Tracking and Updates

The platform sends automated alerts, tracking information, and reminders through customers’ preferred channels, keeping them informed and reducing anxiety about delivery status.

3. Delivery Management with Address Updates

When delivery issues arise due to address problems, DeliverPlus initiates a conversation allowing customers to update or clarify their information in real-time, converting potential failures into successful deliveries.

4. Intelligent Channel Failover

If a message can’t be delivered through the primary channel (e.g., WhatsApp), DeliverPlus automatically switches to alternative channels like SMS or voice calls. This ensures critical delivery information always reaches customers, even when their primary communication channel is unavailable.

5. Self-Service Delivery Instructions

Customers can provide specific delivery instructions through intuitive conversational interfaces, improving delivery success rates for complex locations or schedules.

6. Voice calling  for Non-App Customers

For customers who aren’t on messaging platforms, DeliverPlus initiates automated Voice AI calls with delivery details and options, ensuring no customer is left without critical delivery information.

7. Expedited NDR Processing

When delivery fails, DeliverPlus immediately notifies customers and provides options for rescheduling, resolution, dramatically speeding up the traditional NDR processing cycle.

8. Streamlined Returns Management

The platform facilitates return requests, rescheduling, and refund management through the same conversational interface, making the often-frustrating returns process smooth and transparent.

9. Product Exchange, Reattempt Delivery and Reinitiate Pickup

DeliverPlus streamlines product exchanges, delivery reattempts, and pickup reinitiation through simple conversational flows. Customers can easily request replacements, schedule new delivery times, or arrange pickups—all through their preferred messaging channel without the typical friction of these logistics-heavy processes.

Real-World Impact: Success Stories

DeliverPlus has already transformed delivery operations for businesses across various sectors:

Major Fashion Retailer Success: 173K Users in 15 Months

A leading UAE fashion retailer implemented Gupshup’s Order Management Solution for post-purchase assistance, reaching 173,000 unique users. The implementation also focused on multilingual support (Arabic and English) and covered order tracking, order details, returns/exchanges, FAQs, and complaint management—all through WhatsApp. The brand also maximized adoption through strategic discovery touchpoints, embedding WhatsApp chat links across online and offline channels, directing prospective customers onto a conversation on WhatsApp. 

eCommerce Platform RTO Reduction: 10% Drop in Returns, 2X Response Rate

Gushup enabled a major eCommerce platform to reduce RTO rates by 10% through automated customer journeys addressing address issues and customer unavailability on WhatsApp. They also doubled customer response rates compared to traditional communication methods.

Global Shipping Provider Enhanced Experience: Expansion Across 5-Countries in 6 Months

A global shipping and logistics provider improved their delivery experience using DeliverPlus self-serve conversations for KYC verification, delivery tracking, and rescheduling. Their implementation leverages smart channel failover from WhatsApp to SMS for time-sensitive notifications, ensuring high coverage rates. Initially launched in Saudi Arabia and Vietnam, the program is expanding to Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, and India.

Value Proposition

DeliverPlus delivers tangible business benefits that directly impact the bottom line:

Significant RTO Reduction

By proactively addressing issues before they cause delivery failures, DeliverPlus has demonstrated the ability to reduce RTO rates by 10% or more.

Faster NDR Processing

The traditional NDR process often takes days. DeliverPlus cuts this to hours or even minutes through instant communication and resolution options.

Elimination of Fake Delivery Attempts

By enabling direct customer engagement through WhatsApp, RCS, and voice calls, DeliverPlus reduces instances of fake delivery attempts, improving both operational metrics and customer satisfaction.

Enhanced Customer Experience

Beyond the operational benefits, DeliverPlus transforms the post-purchase experience into a seamless, transparent, and interactive journey that builds customer loyalty and repeat purchases.

Embracing the Future of Delivery Management

As eCommerce continues to grow, the businesses that thrive will be those that master not just the pre-purchase journey but the critical post-purchase experience as well. DeliverPlus represents a paradigm shift in delivery management—moving from reactive problem-solving to proactive engagement.

By leveraging AI-powered conversations across multiple channels, DeliverPlus helps eCommerce businesses reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, and most importantly, create delivery experiences that delight customers and keep them coming back.

In an era where customer expectations for delivery are higher than ever, DeliverPlus provides eCommerce businesses with the tools they need to meet and exceed those expectations, turning the traditional delivery challenge into a competitive advantage.

To learn how DeliverPlus can transform your delivery operations and reduce your NDR and RTO rates, contact Gupshup today to experience the difference firsthand. Click here.