Panic Monday sees shoppers hit the high street
Today, 21 December, is predicted to mark the switch from online to in-store shopping, according to retail intelligence specialist, FootFall, which says in-store traffic is set to rise 2.5% year-on-year. The busiest in-store shopping day will be 22 December, with footfall up 54% on the daily average.
Unlike last year, which saw stores inundated with last minute shoppers on the Saturday before Christmas, (Panic Saturday) online shopping has continued to dominate how consumers are purchasing last minute Christmas gifts.
This, FootFall suggests, is due to retailers offering even later deadlines for Christmas deliveries, with the likes of Amazon’s Prime same day delivery service and other brands, such as Not On The High Street, promising to fulfil gift orders made by midday on the 23 December in time for the big day.
Steve Richardson, UK Regional Director at FootFall, said: “We expect the Panic Monday shift – when consumers abandon online shopping and take to the streets, in a bid to ensure they tick off all the final gifts on their Christmas lists – to be even more pronounced this year.
“As Christmas falls on a Friday, there have only been three Mondays in December 2015, whereas the past three years (2012 – 2014) had four Mondays, making the shift to in-store shopping even more marked. What’s more, as consumers might choose to take off a few days ahead of Christmas, this could also mean we see more shopper traffic on the high street and in shopping centres, as consumers feel they aren’t reliant on online shopping alone.”
GFS extends reach through Hermes ParcelShops
Global Freight Solutions (GFS) has announced that retailers using its highly-acclaimed checkout system will now be able to offer their customers Hermes ParcelShops as a delivery option. Hermes has 5,000 ParcelShops in the UK with in excess of 30,000 more to facilitate fully-tracked deliveries and convenient consumer collections across Europe.
It is the latest development since the launch of GFS Checkout in September last year, retail users of which have reported 10% rise in completed orders.
GFS director Simon Veale said that adding Hermes’ 36,000-strong Europe-wide network of ParcelShops to an already impressive array of delivery options presented retailers with more capability to keep customers happy.
“Delivery is such an important factor in whether and how consumers shop online that having a broad and reliable mix of standard, express and alternative services is now imperative and certainly to every retailer’s advantage.
“Whether they are large or small, being able to tap into the flexibility and coverage offered by Hermes’ ParcelShops right domestically and internationally as well as the other options in GFS Checkout means that retailers are far more capable of giving consumers the choice that they want and that is a powerful element in getting people to place orders time and again.”
Nightline trebles Waterford foot-print
Ireland’s leading independent delivery firm, the Nightline Group, has opened a facility at Waterford which is three times the size of its previous premises in the city. Group CEO John Tuohy said increasing parcel traffic generated by retailers in the UK and Ireland’s south east had been instrumental in the decision to move to the 30,000 square foot site.
“We believe that our new depot in Waterford marks a clear statement of intent to maintain our high standards of performance for the benefit of consumers and business customers in the region.
“The ecommerce boom has not just been of benefit to those UK brands shipping to shoppers in the Republic but home-based retailers wanting to meet the appetite of Irish people shopping online.”
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