In partnership with GFS, who power delivery for leading retailers and B2B brands worldwide, we will be bringing you a GFS Peak Pulse Weekly Bulletin coving the current state of the logistics industry and a forecast of expectations for the upcoming few days. Today we publish the fourth Peak Pulse Weekly Bulletin – check back next week for an update:
Current Outlook
Carriers are reporting a drop in volumes of around 7-15%… but they’re still 45-50% higher than the same period last year.
Carriers are still focused on 100% delivery performance and continue to limit capacity to protect service levels.
Many carriers are continuing to deliver huge volumes over the weekend to ease the pressure on the spike in volume that comes every Monday.
International demand has led to some significant delays – most notably in Ireland – but carrier performance has continued to be exceptional across Europe.
GFS Peak Pulse Weekly Bulletin #3: key headlines
Retailers are reporting a slight drop off in volumes now that stores have re-opened.
Many retailers have opted not to restart in-store Click & Collect, preferring to push home delivery to ease the pressure on retail staff.
Some retailers are also reporting significant supply chain issues and delays in receiving imported products ordered several months ago – with time now running out for some key Christmas lines.
There’s been congestion at some ports which has not helped this issue, with poor weather preventing some container vessels from docking, resulting in lengthy container turnaround times.
The GFS Checkout Dashboard shows that the basket conversion rate has dropped by around 4%, however, it is still tracking 7% higher than at the start of November as people remain focused on completing their present buying in time for Christmas.
Top performing sectors
Hamper volumes have surged this week, due to corporate gifts being delivered to individual home addresses rather than a central office.
Christmas lines such as trees, decorations, lighting and toys also continued to see growth throughout the week.
Also high growth in:
- Fashion & Footwear
- Cosmetics & Skincare
- Electrical & Technology
- Gaming
- DIY
Top international lanes
Domestic and International split has remained consistent at 85:15
The top international lanes still continue to see growth
- Ireland
- France
- Germany
- USA
- Italy
- Australia
- Netherlands
The outlook for next week
Retailers are now focused on fulfilling their Christmas delivery promises!
International cut off dates are looming and have already passed on some deferred services to Australia, Asia, Middle East Africa, South America, Canada and the US
GFS expect to see retailers upgrading many deliveries to an Express or Next Day service to ensure parcels are delivered in time for Christmas.
