Deliveries of parcels ordered online grew by 11% in April, new figures suggest.
That takes the growth rate for deliveries so far this year to 10.9% and, suggests the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index, if that rate continues then the total number of orders dispatched by UK retailers in 2015 will come in at 992m orders, short of the more than 1bn expected to be delivered this year. That depends on deliveries growing by the 13% that the IMRG has predicted.
Andrew Starkey, head of e-logistics at IMRG , said: “Although the current growth rate is below our 13% full year forecast we would not be surprised to see post-election consumer confidence push this up over the coming months. The month of May tends to show a slight increase in order volumes followed by a drop in June and a mini peak in July. It will be interesting to see if this trend is followed but if exceeded it may herald a surge in consumer demand.”
Significant findings including the high rate of on-time delivery, which so far this year is running at 94%. When carded deliveries – when delivery is attempted on-time but no-one is there to receive the parcel – are excluded, on-time, first-time deliveries are running at 88.7%.
The study also found a slight increase in cross-border ecommerce following several months in which growth has been flat. IMRG says the strength of the pound against the euro may be contributing to a reduction in demand from European shoppers.
Kees de Vos, chief commercial officer at MetaPack , said: “As we move into spring we’re naturally seeing a pickup in online retail with people buying for the milder weather. The data on successful deliveries bodes well for the way in which retailers and carriers are collaborating more closely on trying to deliver positive customer experiences every time, everywhere.
“Another year-on-year increase in monthly delivery volumes indicates how much UK and overseas consumers are comfortable with how the industry will fit into their requirements for receiving orders at home, work or on the move.”
