Tracking transparency

Customers judge fulfilment by the activity they can see, and visible progress late in the wait counts for more than early progress.

Trust and risk reduction Mainly on Post-purchase pages
Where it applies

Three of the eight page areas.

HomepageNot typical CategoryNot typical SearchNot typical ProductAlso applies CartNot typical CheckoutAlso applies Post-purchaseMainly here

Not usually a sitewide principle. See everything at work on Post-purchase pages

How to use it

Three ways to use it, and one to avoid.

  • Show granular tracking events.
  • Keep updates coming just before delivery, with no long silent stretches.
  • Surface “out for delivery” and local-depot scans.
  • Avoid: fabricated or artificially timed tracking events.
What the research found

Later tracking updates lifted delivery ratings. Observational data from one platform in China.

Shifting tracking activity later lifted ratings about as much as cutting delivery from 100 to 73 hours.

Across 4.68m Cainiao parcels, shifting tracking activity from around hour 20 to hour 80 of a 100-hour delivery lifted ratings about as much as delivering at hour 73 instead. Observational, one platform in China. Field experiments in food service by Buell and colleagues found that letting customers see the work raised perceived quality.

Key research

Three sources, each checked.

Last reviewed

Bray (2023) Operational Transparency: Showing When Work Gets Done Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Read the source Buell, Kim & Tsay (2017) Creating Reciprocal Value Through Operational Transparency Management Science Read the source Buell & Norton (2011) The Labor Illusion: How Operational Transparency Increases Perceived Value Management Science Read the source
Before you use it · UK law

Never fabricate or artificially time tracking events.

This is simply a pointer to check, not legal advice. Seek legal advice before you put this principle into action.