A "delivery attempt" refers to a courier partner's effort to physically deliver a shipment to the buyer's registered address. Each time a courier agent visits the delivery location to hand over the package, it is counted as one delivery attempt—regardless of whether the delivery was successful or not.
Delivery attempts can fail for several reasons, including the customer being unavailable at the time of delivery, an incorrect or incomplete address, the buyer refusing to accept the order, or the courier being unable to locate the address. When a delivery attempt fails, the shipment generates an NDR (Non-Delivery Report), which triggers a follow-up action.
Most courier partners allow between 2 and 5 delivery reattempts depending on the courier's policy and the shipment type. If all attempts are exhausted without a successful delivery, the shipment is marked as RTO (Return to Origin) and sent back to the seller.
Platforms like Shipmozo help eCommerce sellers manage failed delivery attempts through structured NDR workflows, free NDR calling support, and automated reattempt scheduling—ensuring more shipments are successfully delivered before they are returned, reducing reverse logistics costs, and protecting seller margins.
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