Following the unpredicted slowdown in UK online retail volumes last month, perhaps influenced by the political and economic uncertainty surrounding the general election, the IMRG Metapack UK Delivery Index recorded a strong return to growth and a positive trend to all the key delivery measures in June.
Online order volumes were up 22% compared with June 2014, the highest growth rate of the year so far in 2015, and cumulative growth for the first six months of 2015 now stands at 11.4%. June’s growth bucks the usual seasonal trend as we usually see a slight decline at this time of year.
The delivery figures were in line with the online sales revenue results – which also recorded their highest growth for the year so far in June (+18%)*.
Probable reasons for this upturn include the settled summer weather, post-election recovery in consumer confidence and spending and additional promotional activity by retailers seeking to stimulate sales following a relatively slow start to the year.
Andrew Starkey, head of e-logistics at IMRG: “After the slowdown we saw last month it is good to see the UK’s online retail sector back on the upswing. If this trend continues we will soon approach our start of year forecast of 13%. July usually delivers a mini-peak on the back of summer spending which should push us even closer to this figure.”
Kees de Vos, chief product and marketing officer at Metapack: “The general election certainly seems to have had an impact on consumer confidence so it is reassuring to see that online retail sales have picked up strongly in the interim and we are heading towards a strong summer sales period. Growth is also underpinned by the continuing breadth of delivery options being offered by retailers and delivered efficiently and expediently.”
Also up is the level of on time deliveries at 94.5% and to complete the very positive picture the average value of orders is also at a high point for the year.
* IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index http://imrg.org/index.php?catalog=2155
About the IMRG Metapack UK Delivery Index
The IMRG Metapack UK Delivery Index has been designed to enable the e-retail industry to track a wide range of key benchmark metrics to enable organisations to benchmark performance, track trends and inform strategic decisions.
The information presented is aggregated from a consistent sample of Metapack’s extensive dataset so all retailers, carriers and other suppliers remain completely anonymous. While it is not possible to confirm whether the data is entirely representative of all retail sectors, by covering in excess of 200 retailers and an average of more than 5 million orders in any one month, we consider it to be a valid and highly reliable source.
About IMRG
For over 20 years, IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group) has been the voice of e-retail in the UK. We are a membership community comprising businesses of all sizes – multichannel and pureplay, SME and multinational, and solution providers to industry.We support our members through a range of activities – including market tracking and insight, benchmarking and best practice sharing. Our indexes provide in-depth intelligence on online sales, mobile sales, delivery trends and over 40 additional KPIs.
Our goal is to ensure our members have the information and resources they need to succeed in rapidly-evolving markets – both domestically and internationally.
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About Metapack
Founded in 1999, the Metapack Group provides eCommerce and multi-channel delivery technology to leading retailers. Metapack’s highly configurable platform looks after the customer delivery experience generating consumer trust and loyalty. The software connects shippers with parcel carriers, as well as a wide range of alternative delivery, collection and returns services. For more information, visit www.metapack.com
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