The exponential rise in ecommerce has been background ‘noise’ for years - wallpaper in a much larger discussion about business models, valuations, disrupters v the disrupted etc

But every now and then an article like this comes along to shine a light on the day-to-day realities of change.

Reading between the lines, the ‘delivery chaos’ is a sign of a much broader shift in human behaviour: planning timelines.

In the same way we now seldom bother to remember phone numbers, it seems we (as consumers) have significantly shortened our planning timelines.

Why remember and plan for all the items we may need during the weekly/fortnightly grocery shop when you have the option of same-day (within the hour!) delivery?

Why pencil in a time to grab that birthday/anniversary present, client gift, project memento etc.

Line this change up aside the already identified shift in ‘Millennial social planning’ (though it’s not limited to a specific age group) - where people rely on messaging apps to leave planning for social get togethers until the very last minute - and there is good evidence of a distinct behavioural shift in temporal planning preferences and behaviours, which is starting to have real physical manifestations...