E-retail delivery volumes in the UK recorded a mini-peak in July with 14% growth but the numberof attempted or ‘carded’ deliveries also rose to its highest level since September 2013, according
to the British e-commerce association IMRG.The IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index, which measures parcel volumes generated by e-commerce,expects volumes in the UK to grow strongly this year with an estimated year-on-year growth of 19%thanks to the thriving e-retail market.
However, the volume peak in July was accompanied by a hike in failed deliveries, with ‘carded’deliveries accounting for 6.9% of all orders. This refers to failed deliveries where the deliveryperson leaves a traditional ‘We missed you’ card with information on when and where the parcel canbe collected.
Andrew Starkey, Head of e-Logistics at IMRG, explained: “We may speculate that the increase incarded deliveries is due to the summer holiday period, with delivery agents not on regular routesand consumers not being at home, but this did not happen last year. This is therefore an area whereretailers should examine their current performance to see if there is a genuine issue.”
“Having said that, we are on track for impressive year-on-year volume growth of 19%, which willgenerate 895 million e-retailer generated/carrier-delivered orders,” he stressed.
Angela O’Connell, Strategy and Marketing Director at MetaPack, added that the July volumesconfirm strong and sustainable growth of UK e-commerce. However, she highlighted the importance forretailers and carriers to offer a wider choice of delivery options to online shoppers to minimisethe number of attempted or carded deliveries.
“We’re seeing some major innovations take place in the market and it’s going to be an excitingtime to track how UK e-tail performs as the Christmas Peak season gets ever closer,” she said.
