Heavier than usual rainfall in January 2018 is credited for an increase in online ordering, ecommerce sales and delivery during the first month of the year according to the IMRG.
January saw a 20.6% rise in online parcel deliveries according to the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index. This is the strongest rate of January growth for online order volumes since 2013.
Online sales revenue growth was also strong in January, up 13.9%, so it was a strong start to the year for online retail overall in spite of the ongoing economic uncertainty. It was a very wet month for most of the UK, which can deter people from visiting their local high street, but it’s possible that post-peak returns may have had some influence on volume too. Given the record volume of Christmas orders – and the extended returns period that many retailers offer – it is likely that the volume of returns would also be high. Many of these would have found their way back into online channels for resale as part of the New Year sales.
– Andrew Starkey, head of e-logistics, IMRG
They say that the findings are strong evidence that high street footfall continues to decline and bricks and mortar concerns are prone to struggle. And that has been in evident in stark examples this week as both Toys’R’Us and Maplin went into administration.
There is a definite correlation between the slow-down in footfall on the high street and the rise in online orders, and it will be interesting to see if the trend continues in the February figures.
– Maria Dahlqvist Canton, global marketing director, MetaPack
And this is all good news for online merchants because the marketplaces continue to flourish and consumers remain enthusiastic about shopping online. Did you enjoy a buoyant and bountiful January? It used to be a dull month but it’s good news to report it was bravura in 2018.
