Online delivery volumes rise as parcel firms stick to schedules

Monday, June 4, 2018 - 11:36 by Graham Miller

There has been an uptick in the number of packages delivered across the UK in the past month, with figures from IMRG showing that in spite of the growing popularity of safe shopping online, logistics firms are actually managing to fulfil their duties on time.

Around nine out of every 10 deliveries made across the UK arrived in the correct timeframe originally advertised by retailers. This is higher than the 84.6 per cent proportion of punctual deliveries seen during the same period in 2017.

Analysts believe that this is not just about the fact that delivery operators have improved their infrastructures and got better at coping with the complications of handling huge numbers of parcels; it is also down to consumer habits.

When people shop online today, a greater proportion than ever before are choosing next day delivery at the checkout, according to Internet Retailing.

As faster delivery services gain traction, parcels are arriving on time in higher volumes because there is less of a margin for error when a 24 hour window for dispatch is outlined.

The report also found that the typical amount of money spent in a given online order is still increasing, and has been for more than a year. So even as Brits choose to buy online more often, they are not spreading their spending out across multiple small purchases in the way that might be expected.

Industry experts are especially impressed with the performance of the e-commerce market so far in 2018 given that consumer confidence is still shaky and household incomes have been put under pressure as a result of outside economic influences. If this trend continues then it will be another record year for online shopping in the UK.