Every failed delivery eats into already thin margins. And in a world where the last mile shapes the customer experience, you can’t afford to keep absorbing those hits.

Yet too many retailers are still relying on courier liability cover—the basic protection bundled into shipping costs—as if it were designed to safeguard their business. It wasn’t. It’s there to protect the courier. And the gap between what you think is covered and what actually gets reimbursed is costing retailers millions.

That’s where regulated, automated shipping insurance steps in. Here’s the difference and why it matters for your business.

The Last-Mile Challenge

The last mile is your most fragile mile. It’s also where failures spike:

• Lost Deliveries: In 2024, UK consumers reported nearly 14 million delivery issues every month (Citizens Advice).

• Damaged Packages: Parcels are dropped or mishandled an average of 15–20 times in transit. Large items like furniture have a 20%+ chance of damage, while even small electronics see failure rates around 10% depending on the carrier.

For retailers, that translates directly into refunds, replacements, churn, and revenue leakage. Worse, customers don’t blame the courier—they blame you.

The Insurance Gap

Despite these risks, 90% of goods in transit remain underinsured or uninsured.

Why? Because many retailers mistakenly believe courier liability has them covered.

What Courier Liability Really Covers

Courier liability is:

• Unregulated – it’s not true insurance, it’s a commercial promise.

• Low value – often capped at £10–£50 per shipment.

• Strictly limited – excludes weather, “inadequate packaging,” and most common causes of loss.

• Hard to claim – requires you to prove negligence, file within short windows (often 14 days), and then wait up to 120 days for resolution.

The result? A claims success rate of just 15% across the courier industry.

Anansi Shipping Insurance vs. Carrier Liability

Anansi isn’t just another insurance add-on. It’s a regulated, automated layer of resilience for your last mile.

With Anansi you also get:

• Choice of full retail value cover or cost coverage (50% of retail).

• Protection that scales with order value—pricing flexes so you only pay in line with risk.

• Insights into fraud, courier SLA performance, and recurring delivery issues, so you can prevent losses before they happen

Why It Matters

Every courier error, every manual claim, every unclaimed loss is a silent drain on EBITDA.

Retailers are waking up to the fact that risk is no longer just financial—it’s operational, reputational, and strategic.

Anansi closes that gap by:

• Recovering revenue – no more write-offs.

• Releasing teams – automation cuts wasted admin hours.

• Protecting loyalty – fast, fair claims keep customers onside.

• Building resilience – one platform that unites cover, control, and clarity.

Choosing the Best Approach

1. Hybrid approach – Use carrier liability for low-value items, and Anansi for anything above the carrier’s cap.

2. Comprehensive cover – Insure every shipment with Anansi. Ideal for retailers with high volumes or high-value baskets, where delays and losses have direct revenue impact.

Either way, when you compare the real cost of courier liability—refund leakage, team hours, reputational damage—the economics are clear. Anansi pays for itself.

Final Word

Retailers no longer need to choose between absorbing losses or fighting uphill battles with couriers. With Anansi, you replace chaos with clarity, protect your profit, and give customers the confidence that delivery is handled—no excuses.

Please feel free to book a call to discuss how we can help make your last-mile more resilient.