Online retail parcel delivery order volumes rose 13.9% year-on-year in April, according to the latest data from the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index. On-time delivery performance also rose – coming in at just over 90%.
Andrew Starkey, head of e-Logistics at IMRG said the results were encouraging. “It’s so far, so good for order volumes given that, toward the end of last year, the indicators for 2018 were not particularly good – there was a squeeze on household incomes, consumer confidence wasn’t particularly strong and many retailers were reporting tough trading conditions,” he said.
“However, so far 2018 has proved to be a good year for online retail. Many of the economic pressures have eased as the year has progressed so shoppers are finding themselves with a bit more spare change in their pockets, plus there are some major events, such as the royal wedding and the World Cup, to help stimulate interest and activity around certain product ranges.”
Maria Dahlqvist Canton, global marketing director, MetaPack, said: “While delivery volumes in February, March and April are traditionally lower than during other times of the year, it is heartening to see that order volumes in April 2018 have shown a year on year increase. This puts year-to-date cumulative growth at 12.9%, right on target for the forecasted 13% growth to the end of the year, which is very positive.”
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