Record May and June temperatures helped lift UK ecommerce volumes by 6% in the second quarter, new analysis suggests. Figures from delivery company Scurri suggest that online spending for the quarter was also boosted by Father’s Day.
“May and June entered the record books as two of the hottest months seen across the UK and Europe,” said Rory O’Connor, founder and CEO of Scurri. “This, combined with Father’s Day trading, created ideal conditions for ecommerce growth. The uplift in outdoor, gifting and lifestyle categories shows how quickly consumer needs can shift and the importance of responding in real-time to capitalise on sales.
The UK Met Office has confirmed that June 2025 was the hottest June on record in England, following a spring season in which the four nations of the UK saw their warmest average temperatures since records began in 1884.
The Scurri analysis comes soon after BDO’s High Street Sales Tracker suggested that retail sales were relatively flat overall in June (+0.5%). Within that, online sales (+4.9%) grew faster than store sales (+0.6%).
Across Europe
Data from Scurri Unpacked also suggests that ecommerce order volumes rose strongly across Europe and the UK in June (+25%). That helped to push order volumes for the quarter up by 18% in the second quarter. Scurri’s data reviews ecommerce delivery trends based on more than 200mn shipments processed through its delivery management platform each year.
Volumes were strongly up in European markets during the quarter, from Germany (+37%) to Poland (+28%) and Ireland (+21%). But volumes shipped to the United States fell by -17%. That followed 10% US tariffs, introduced on UK goods early in the quarter (April 5 2025).
Trends in delivery type
Scurri suggests that ecommerce brands and retailers are using delivery types to boost customer satisfaction and trust. Signed-for delivery services rose by 21% on Q1, and by 28% on the previous year. This, says Scurri, may reflect shopper demand for higher levels of reassurance around deliveries.
Meanwhile, next-day delivery volumes rose as shoppers looked to receive their orders quickly (+29% on the previous year, but flat on Q1). Most (98%) orders for garden and outdoor products included in the data were delivered next day during the second quarter.
Two-day delivery was also up (+19% on the previous quarter) as shoppers looked to balance cost and speed. Weekend deliveries were down on the previous quarter (-26%) but up on the previous year (+47%).
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