Record 900 million orders for e-tailers, says IMRG

UK retailers are on course to dispatch a record 900 million orders or 930 million parcels in 2014, with 120 million projected for December alone. 

This is according to the latest August IMRG MetaPack Delivery Index which has predicted a record year for e-tailers.

As predicted, online retail sales fell by 13.6% month-on-month in August, however this still represented a cumulative growth rate of 20% year-on-year. Based on past e-retail delivery patterns, order volumes are expected to increase by 10% and steadily grow in the run-up to Christmas.

Andrew Starkey, head of e-logistics for IMRG, said: “With three years of data in the Index we can now predict the annual pattern of when and where these deliveries will be made. This means we can confidently anticipate that a record 120 million orders will be dispatched by UK retailers in December alone.”

The index also revealed that delivery service performance improved during August with close to 94% of delivers on time which is higher compared to the same period for the last two years.

Overall the proportion of orders either late or not delivered at the first attempt was 10.72% in August compared to the monthly average of 11.6% over the last 12 months.

The survey also indicated a rise in the number of consumers choosing next day or specified day delivery, at 28%. By comparison, the proportion of next day or specified day orders fell to a low of 19% of all orders in 2013.

Angela O’Connell, marketing and strategy director, MetaPack, said: “The revival in premium delivery services will have been driven by many factors. It does suggest that consumers are feeling more comfortable in making last minute purchasing decisions, knowing they can trust retailers to make next day deliveries successfully.”