Term

First-Attempt Delivery (FAD)

FAD is the percentage of shipments delivered on the first attempt. Healthy FAD is 85–92% on prepaid, 75–85% on COD.

By ShipyBox Editorial TeamUpdated 19 Jun 2026

What is first-attempt delivery (fad)?

FAD (First-Attempt Delivery) is the percentage of shipments delivered on the first delivery attempt. Healthy FAD is 85–92% on prepaid and 75–85% on COD.

Why it matters operationally

FAD is the single best predictor of customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. High FAD = lower re-attempt cost, lower NDR rate, lower RTO rate, higher buyer satisfaction. Low FAD compounds into higher operational cost across the entire shipping P&L.

Worked example — B2C ecommerce

A D2C brand with 89% FAD on 5,000 shipments/month has 550 NDR-eligible shipments needing re-attempt. A brand with 78% FAD has 1,100 — twice the re-attempt cost.

Worked example — B2B logistics

B2B FAD is typically 92–96% — much higher than B2C because receiving offices are scheduled and addresses are stable. B2B FAD shortfalls are usually documentation issues (e-way bill, invoice mismatch).

How a multi-carrier platform handles first-attempt delivery (fad)

Multi-carrier platforms surface FAD per carrier per pincode tier — letting operators reallocate volume to carriers with higher FAD in specific lanes.

Quick reference card

AttributeDetail
Definition% shipments delivered on first attempt
Healthy benchmark85–92% prepaid, 75–85% COD
Above-benchmark> 92% prepaid is excellent
Below-benchmark< 80% prepaid indicates issues
Tier-1 (Metro)Typically 88–93%
Tier-280–88%
Tier-3 / Remote65–78%
Improvement leversPre-delivery SMS, OTP COD, address quality

One-paragraph summary: FAD is the single best leading indicator of shipping ops health. High FAD means lower re-attempt cost, lower NDR rate, lower RTO rate, and higher buyer satisfaction. Each percentage point of FAD compounds across the entire shipping P&L. Healthy benchmarks differ by tier — metros 88–93%, Tier-3 65–78%. Multi-carrier platforms surface per-carrier per-pincode FAD, enabling smart allocation to the best-FAD carrier for each lane.

Operator playbook — first-attempt delivery (fad) in practice

A practical playbook for improving FAD rate:

  1. Track FAD weekly by destination tier (Tier-1 / Tier-2 / Tier-3). Aggregate FAD hides geographic problems.
  2. Audit pincodes with FAD < 75% — diagnose whether issue is address quality, agent network, or attempt-time mismatch.
  3. Enable pre-delivery SMS / WhatsApp — buyer knows package is coming, increases first-attempt success 3–5 percentage points.
  4. Improve address quality at checkout — landmark requirement, pincode validation, phone verification.
  5. Allocate to the carrier with highest FAD per pincode through multi-carrier platform.
  6. Set realistic SLA expectations — over-promised delivery dates lead to "out for delivery" before buyer is home.
  7. Train CSM team on FAD patterns — feedback to allocation engine improves results.

Frequently asked questions

What is a healthy FAD rate?

85–92% on prepaid; 75–85% on COD. Above 92% (prepaid) is excellent.

How is FAD calculated?

(Shipments delivered on first attempt) ÷ (Total delivered shipments) × 100.

What hurts FAD?

Address quality, buyer reachability, attempt time-of-day, agent quality, and pincode-tier characteristics.

Can FAD be improved?

Yes — address validation at checkout, OTP COD, pre-delivery SMS/WhatsApp, and time-slot scheduling all improve FAD.

Is FAD the same as on-time delivery rate?

No — FAD measures delivery in one attempt; on-time delivery measures within the SLA window (which may include re-attempts).

Does FAD differ between prepaid and COD?

Yes — prepaid FAD is typically 5–10 percentage points higher than COD. COD buyers can change mind at door.

Is FAD tracked by carrier or by merchant?

Both — carriers track for SLA performance; merchants track for vendor performance management. Multi-carrier platforms surface per-carrier FAD.

Can FAD be improved without changing carriers?

Yes — address quality, pre-delivery SMS, OTP COD all improve FAD without carrier change.

Related ShipyBox resources

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ShipyBox is India's AI-first multi-courier shipping platform — built for both Indian D2C ecommerce brands (Shopify, Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho) and B2B operators (manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, corporate shipping). Book a 15-minute demo to see how the platform automates the operational workflow behind this term — pre-dispatch RTO Shield, multi-courier allocation, weight dispute disputes, branded tracking and COD remittance acceleration.

For NCR-anchored shippers (Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad), see our NCR shipping network guide.

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