RANKED: The UK’s Best & Worst Delivery Companies

Demand for delivery services has grown hugely in recent years. More of us working from home, high street closures and the transition of retailers to ecommerce has led to around 4.2 billion parcels being sent in the UK over the 2020/2021 fiscal year – an increase of 1.3 billion on the previous year.

With more parcels being sent, delivery services are under the microscope more than ever. We’ve come to expect parcels, takeaways and groceries to be delivered to our door, on time and in excellent condition. Some brands are rising to the challenge; others are falling behind.

We've researched public opinion across the web and social media to discover the best and worst delivery companies in the UK.

The Best and Worst Parcel Delivery Services

Hermes and Yodel are the UK’s best parcel delivery services -- and USPS the worst

We’ve all experienced the frustration of looking forward to that all important delivery, only to be waiting longer than we expected. Or perhaps it never arrives due to being left out in the open and stolen.

We previously wrote about the most stolen delivery services in the UK, where we discovered that Hermes parcels are the most likely to get pinched from your doorstep. Despite this, public sentiment towards Hermes outweighs this downside, putting them in the top spot as the UK’s best delivery service alongside Yodel.

Meanwhile, USPS comes out as the worst package delivery service, with the majority of public sentiment being negative towards the brand.

Where the positive and negative internet score doesn’t add up to 100%, it indicates a proportion of neutral sentiment.

The Best and Worst Food Delivery Services

Domino’s is the best takeaway service, surpassing Deliveroo and UberEats

Ever had a pizza arrive that’s clearly been carried upside-down? This and other blunders like missing items, late deliveries and – worst of all — overlooked allergy requests shape our sentiment towards different takeaway services.

While Deliveroo and UberEats are considered two of the most popular takeaway services, they’re far from the best food delivery service when it comes to public opinion, coming last in our rankings.

Domino’s is rated the best food delivery service, with the best overall customer satisfaction across the web – perhaps reflecting the benefits of a coordinated inhouse service.

The Best and Worst Supermarket Delivery Services

Beelivery and Getir are the UK’s best supermarket delivery services

Propelled by necessity over the past couple of years of lockdowns, apps and services bringing all kinds of groceries – from fruit and veg to booze and snacks – have been popping up left, right and centre. But which one is the best supermarket delivery service?

With excellent TrustPilot reviews and plenty of love on social media, Beelivery and Getir rank as the UK’s favourite grocery delivery service. Available in most towns and cities, shoppers can enjoy receiving fresh food, as well as other essential household items, straight to their door.

Where the positive and negative internet score doesn’t add up to 100%, it indicates a proportion of neutral sentiment.

The Best and Worst Subscription Boxes

Beauty favourite Glossybox takes the crown as the best subscription box

Subscription boxes have become all the rage, offering an easy and convenient way to get repeat orders of your favourite things – and you only have to sign up once. From lip-gloss to coffee to toilet paper, every industry has been hopping on the subscription box craze.

Delighting its subscribers with a box of beauty goodies every month, Glossybox is the favourite among UK subscription boxes, receiving positive feedback across the internet and social media.

At the other end of the rankings, Sip’s artisan champagne subscription falters when it comes to internet feedback, giving it the lowest score of 10.

Where the positive and negative internet score doesn’t add up to 100% it indicates a proportion of neutral sentiment.

What’s the best delivery company overall?

Between takeaways, groceries, subscriptions and general parcel deliveries, what company comes out as the best delivery service in the UK?

We put together the data for all the delivery companies included in this article, ranking them on each metric and tallying up the scores to find out which delivery service is the best in the country. Here are the results...

Glossybox is the best delivery service in the UK

UK beauty buffs clearly love receiving surprise treats in the letterbox each month from Glossybox. Not only is Glossybox the best subscription box – its positive feedback from across the web means it’s the best delivery service across all the categories we looked into.

Makeup and skincare enthusiasts appreciate Glossybox’s prompt deliveries, limited edition boxes and wide range of products so much, the brand is rated above prominent delivery services like Amazon, Hermes and Domino’s.

Where the positive and negative internet score doesn’t add up to 100% it indicates a proportion of neutral sentiment.

Easy-to-order packaging for every delivery

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Sources

Trustpilot scores available at Trustpilot UK.
Social media emoji usage sourced from Buzzsumo.
Internet sentiment sourced from What Does The Internet Think?
Packaging theft data is available in our article the most stolen delivery services in the UK.

Method

Using the data, we ranked each delivery service from 1 (worst score) upwards on each column of criteria. Tallying up the results gave us the best and worst in total, with the most points being the best and the fewest points being the worst.