Australia Post expects to deliver a record number of three million parcels today (Monday) and New Zealand Post is also handling record levels of parcels at present as consumers in both countries buy more online than ever before.
Since October, Australia Post has experienced an unprecedented number of deliveries, with more than 10 million parcels delivered last week alone. The surge in volumes follows popular online shopping festivals such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with parcel deliveries growing more than 30% during the sales.
Australia Post Group Chief Operating Officer Bob Black said yesterday (Sunday) that more and more customers are turning to online shopping ahead of a busy Christmas because it offered more convenience.
“Tomorrow will the biggest delivery day in Australia Post’s history, with close to three million parcels moving through our network, as Australia’s love for online shopping continues to grow. The most popular Christmas gifts among Australian online shoppers include toys and games, fashion and jewellery, and homewares and appliances along with health and beauty products,” he pointed out.
Black said Australians are shopping mainly from local retailers, with the falling Australian dollar helping increase the proportion of domestic online purchases to more than 70% of delivered parcels as the cost of imported goods rises.
Overall, Australia Post is expecting to deliver over 40 million parcels this December, exceeding the 37 million parcels delivered in December last year.
Under its seasonal operational planning, Australia Post is keeping over 170 retail outlets open longer, has increased the number of parcel lockers by 13, taking the total to 343, has 13 air freighters operating every night for Express services and 16,000 vehicles operating daily, and has hired close to 3000 extra people to deal with record volumes.
Meanwhile, New Zealand Post is currently processing a record number of parcels, fuelled by the huge sales of Singles Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and expects continued growth right up to Christmas Eve.
Chief Operating Officer Mark Stewart said the deliveries from online shopping are 30% higher compared to the same time last year (October 22 to December 4). “We know how much Kiwis love shopping online, and each year the numbers of parcels coming through our network grows, but this year is surpassing all previous records so far.
“To deal with the expected increase in volume at this time of year we’ve put on 600 more people and have increased both our road and air network capacity,” he explained.
Stewart continued: “We’ve been planning for this all year, and we’re ready to be out there delivering Christmas for New Zealanders right through to Christmas Eve. Last year we processed and delivered 2 million additional parcels in November and December. This year we’re expecting all records to be broken.”
