MetaPack, the leading provider of
eCommerce technology for delivery services, has released its latest data on how
online deliveries are performing in the lead up to Christmas. The online
delivery volumes over the Manic Monday weekend saw a 25 per cent increase
compared to the same time last year, continuing to push eCommerce sales to a
record high. The start of the second week of December saw another sharp
spike in online deliveries following Cyber Monday, with the MetaPack software
alone shipping over 5 million orders over both peak weekends. Manic Monday
deliveries were only 4per cent lower than
the number of orders placed on Cyber Monday, making it the second highest
online shopping peak this season.
“The results confirm our forecast
for four delivery peaks this festive season and we are expecting to see the
highest spike of deliveries on Monday 15th
with a much lower increase on the last Monday before Christmas,” said Patrick
Wall, Founder and CEO of MetaPack Group.
This growth forecast is backed up
by a recent study, conducted by Research Now and commissioned by MetaPack,
which revealed that nearly a quarter of UK respondents (22per cent) plan to do almost all their Christmas
shopping online. This figure goes up to 29per
cent for the 35-44 year old respondents, with another 51 per cent of men and 64
per cent of women planning to do more than 50 per cent of their Christmas
shopping online.
“This trend is fuelled by the
fast adoption of alternative delivery options by consumers and retailers. With
more and more online shoppers opting for Click & Collect, Same Day and
Sunday Service delivery, retailers are changing traditional delivery patterns
to meet consumers’ needs for more convenience and choice. This is transforming
the way people shop online, creating more spikes in online deliveries in the
lead up to Christmas,” commented Patrick Wall, Founder and CEO of MetaPack
Group.
Consumers’ willingness to trying
new delivery methods is revealed by how almost a third of UK consumers (28per cent) are planning to use Click & Collect
this year. The data shows that women are more in favour of trying the new
service, with 34per cent of female respondents
planning to use Click & Collect this year compared to 22per cent of their male counterparts.
However, a significant proportion
of UK shoppers (85per cent) are still
planning to have their Christmas shopping delivered to their home, despite
almost two thirds of them (67per cent)
considering home deliveries as unreliable.
The findings of the research also
provided interesting insights into consumers’ expectations from online
deliveries this year. For instance, 39per
cent of the surveyed said they would like to see later cut offs for
online orders to be able to receive next day delivery with the youngest and
oldest of the participants calling for this service (45per cent of 18-24 year olds and 43per
cent of 65+year olds).
Supporting the need for more
flexibility and convenience in online deliveries, 47per cent of consumers would like to see more evening deliveries and
nominated day deliveries (35per cent), with
young people placing a stronger importance on speed of deliveries compared to
their older counterparts. The data revealed that 30 per cent of 18-24 year olds
would like to see more Same Day Delivery services, compared to an average of 14per cent of the other age groups.
Despite the significant advances
of online delivery services, 54per cent of
consumers would not risk ordering their Christmas presents after Monday, 15th
December, confirming the expectations that the third week of December will be
the busiest time for online deliveries in the UK.
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