MetaPack and JDA Software Group Inc, UK’s leading supply chain and delivery platforms for e-commerce companies, have announced a strong 35% year-on-year increase in deliveries made across their platforms in the first nine months of 2015.
The growing order volumes from UK’s leading retail brands have led to a massive increase in their use of delivery platforms, MetaPack explained.
The 35% growth in deliveries is almost three times higher than the cumulative year-on-year volume growth rate for dispatched orders across the UK’s e-retail sector which was at 13.6% at the end of September this year, according to the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index Report published in October 2015.
“This fantastic growth is not just indicative of a general expansion in the UK e-commerce market, especially amongst some of our own retail customers, but more particularly the focus that e-commerce directors are now placing on high quality, on-time delivery services that meet consumers’ needs and also support profitability,” Bruce Fair, Chief Revenue Officer at MetaPack, said.
A number of the UK’s leading retail omni-channel brands use both the JDA and MetaPack solutions to ensure their delivery offers can be fulfilled on time. The complementary platforms have become essential tools for retailers, who recognise that meeting their delivery promises on time every time contributes to long-term customer loyalty.
“The levels of sophistication and functionality that both the JDA and MetaPack platforms offer means that omni-channel retailers can take advantage of recent innovations such as same- day delivery, lockers and pick-up points thus improving consumer loyalty and ultimately increasing delivery volumes,” Fair stressed.
“As the UK online retail market continues to grow, so too are customers’ expectations. It is therefore imperative that retailers’ online fulfilment capabilities are up to par, otherwise they risk damaging customer relationships,” Jason Shorrock, Senior Director, Retail Strategy at JDA, commented. “The combination of JDA and MetaPack’s platforms help omni-channel retailers to improve operational efficiency, so that on-time and first-time delivery is made in line with customer’s expectations and at higher levels than before.”
Looking at carrier performance and deliveries during the peak period and in the run-up to Christmas, MetaPack found out that the carrier performance remains consistently high. In the week ending 13 December, however, MetaPack witnessed a contradictory development: while its cumulative parcel volumes reached a record high, the week-on-week volumes went down by 17%, compared to the same period last year.
“This could be because consumers are placing more faith in the industry to deliver closer to Christmas. We are still expecting some huge volumes to come with a series of mini peaks leading right up to Christmas, with 2015 marking a shift in the shape of the Christmas peak profile,” MetaPack explained.
MetaPack also saw a small uplift in express services versus standard services.
Kees de Vos, Chief Product Officer at MetaPack, said: “Monday 14 December, may well reach or exceed the volumes we saw on Black Friday and Cyber Monday and will set the tone for a busy week ahead – there is no room for mistakes now. As we get closer to the weekend, we will start seeing retailers adjust their delivery promises in order to manage customer expectations. Those that can do this based on availability data from their carriers have a distinct advantage in being able to meet consumer expectation and maximise sales revenue over the Christmas period.”
Founded in 1999, MetaPack helps e-commerce and delivery companies to meet consumer’s growing delivery expectations whilst maintaining and optimising operational efficiency. MetaPack’s SaaS solution offers a wide range of personalised delivery services, from global order tracking to simplified return procedures, thanks to a catalogue of 300 carriers and 3,500 services available in more than 200 countries. Thanks to MetaPack, more than 400 million packages are sent annually worldwide by many of the leading online retailers such as ASOS, House of Fraser, John Lewis, Wiggle, Marks & Spencer, Sports Direct, Halfords and Tesco.
JDA Software Group provides end-to-end, integrated retail, omni-channel and supply chain planning and execution solutions for more than 4,000 customers worldwide helping them reduce costs, increase profitability and improve collaboration with their clients.
