Hot Take Series: How the Smartest Delivery Brands Will Win in 2026

By Brielle Patterson, Senior Marketing Manager at Burq

The last few years have completely reset what customers expect from delivery. Speed used to be the headline; now it’s simply assumed. In 2026, the brands that win won’t be the ones shaving another five minutes off an ETA, they’ll be the ones delivering an experience that feels transparent, predictable, and genuinely thoughtful from start to finish.

For this edition of the Hot Take Series, Brielle Patterson shares how delivery expectations are shifting, how AI is reshaping the experience behind the scenes, and why the next wave of differentiation won’t come from operational speed but from how the delivery journey makes customers feel.

Experience Becomes the Real Differentiator

For most customers, delivery should feel like the simplest part of their purchase, even though it's often the most complex behind the scenes. That’s why visibility is becoming the foundation of the modern delivery experience.

“When I order a product, I’m not thinking about what could go wrong,” Brielle explains. “I expect it to arrive when promised and to have access to tracking whenever I want it. As long as I can see what’s happening, I’m not worried about the in-between.”

This shift reflects a broader trend: customers now expect live updates, consistent communication, and the ability to track orders in real time. Delivery is becoming a standard offering across far more categories, which means speed has less room to stand out. It’s expected, not exceptional. The brands that excel will be the ones that make the experience feel reliable and intentional every time.

AI Moves From Optimization to Orchestration

In 2025, AI became part of the delivery conversation. In 2026, it becomes the engine quietly running the entire experience.

“Businesses will get to be more hands-off and let the platform do the magic,” Brielle says. And that magic comes from AI’s ability to not only automate tasks but also orchestrate decisions across routing, provider selection, and exception handling.

Small businesses, in particular, will benefit as advanced capabilities such as predictive ETAs, automated batching, and intelligent driver assignment become accessible without needing a logistics team or technical expertise. As Brielle puts it: “You don’t have to be an expert in AI or last-mile. The platform lets you offer delivery easily and efficiently.”

Brands often underestimate what AI can really do. It goes far beyond streamlining operations; it helps them deliver an experience that matches their brand standards, adjusts dynamically to changing conditions, and resolves issues without human intervention. That’s where the real competitive advantage emerges.

Delivery Becomes a Core Brand Channel

The idea that delivery is a “back-end function” is officially outdated. Customers experience a brand long after they click checkout, which means delivery has become one of the most influential touchpoints in shaping loyalty and perception.

“If you’re going to offer delivery, the experience has to match your overall service,” Brielle notes. “Customers expect options, visibility, and communication that feels connected to your brand.”

For marketers, this shifts how the delivery journey is viewed. It’s no longer just a step in the process; it’s a branded experience that must feel consistent from the moment an order is placed to the moment it reaches the doorstep.

“We’ve spent the last decade obsessing over speed. In 2026, the winning brands will obsess over experience. Marketers need to think about delivery holistically not just ‘How fast did it arrive?’ but ‘How did it feel?’”

Flexibility Outperforms Scale

Smaller and mid-market brands have a distinct advantage heading into 2026: they can pivot faster than enterprise giants. They no longer need large fleets or complex infrastructure to stand up delivery. With modern tools, launching and scaling delivery can happen quickly and cleanly.

“Smaller brands can pivot a lot faster than larger ones,” Brielle says. “They don’t need the complicated setups they once believed were necessary.”

This flexibility becomes even more powerful when supported by the right systems, the ones that bring marketers, operations, and customer teams together through real-time visibility:

• Dashboards that surface issues as they happen
• Workflow automation that keeps orders moving
• Multi-provider access to expand coverage instantly
• Insights that guide messaging, promotions, and CX

“Flexibility comes from visibility,” Brielle explains. “When you understand what’s happening in the last mile, you can adjust communications and customer expectations without guessing.”

Intelligent Communication Redefines Trust

Communication is the underappreciated driver of customer trust, and AI will transform how brands handle it. Predictive, proactive communication is replacing reactive “sorry, your order is delayed” messaging.

“Intelligent communication uses AI to predict what the customer needs to know, not just what the system needs to announce,” Brielle says. “It anticipates delays, adjusts ETAs, explains why something changed, and offers solutions before frustration sets in.”

This evolution marks a shift from transactional updates to communication that feels thoughtful, timely, and genuinely aligned with the brand’s voice. And it matters, a lot. Delivery communication extends the customer experience long after checkout, shaping how customers perceive the brand’s reliability and care.

Reliability Becomes the New Brand Currency

In a crowded delivery landscape, reliability outweighs speed as the real differentiator. Customers reward brands that deliver consistently and predictably, and they don’t return to the ones that don’t.

“Trust grows through consistency,” Brielle emphasizes. “The brands that only get it right some of the time will be left behind.”

Reliability is increasingly tied to marketing outcomes. Successful brands will make marketing and operations work together more closely, ensuring promises match performance and communication accurately reflects what customers will experience.

One overlooked metric that signals reliability? Predictability of ETAs. When delivery windows are accurate, confidence grows. When they aren’t, trust erodes quickly.

Sustainability, Efficiency, and Choice Align

In 2026, sustainability finally aligns with operational efficiency, not by adding costs but by eliminating waste.

“Sustainability and cost efficiency are moving in the same direction,” Brielle says. “Smarter routing, better batching, and right-sized vehicles naturally reduce emissions and expenses.”

For customers, the delivery choices that matter most are the ones that bring clarity and control:

• Accurate ETAs
• Real-time tracking
• Predictable delivery windows
• Proactive updates when something changes

Convenience influences conversion, but reliability and transparency build loyalty.

What Will Separate the Winners in 2026

Here’s an outlook on what will define the top delivery brands next year:

• Predictive delivery becomes standard practice. AI will resolve exceptions before customers notice.
• Intelligent workflows replace manual decisions. Automation operationalizes consistency.
• Communication becomes proactive, not reactive. Notifications anticipate needs.
• Reliability overtakes speed as the primary differentiator. Consistency becomes the new competitive edge.
• SMBs gain a unique advantage. Their agility outperforms enterprise complexity.
• Sustainability becomes a cost saver. Efficiency reduces emissions and spend simultaneously.
• Delivery becomes a core marketing lever. The last mile becomes a retention channel.

“My prediction is that delivery becomes predictive instead of reactive,” Brielle says. “The best delivery experiences will be the ones customers never have to think about.”

Final Thought

If Brielle could give brands one piece of advice heading into 2026, it would be this:

“Treat every delivery like a brand moment. Customers remember how they feel in the last mile, and that impression will do more for retention than any ad campaign.”

The most exciting opportunity next year lies in turning operational excellence into brand value, making delivery not just a requirement, but a reason customers come back.