ParcelHero: Its going to be a digital Christmas right across the UK

Today’s Office of National Statistics (ONS)  retail figures show retail’s fight-back continued in September, with significant online pre-ordering of new games consoles pointing the way to an online Christmas, says the home delivery specialist ParcelHero.

ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks, MILT, is presenting a webinar on the impact of Covid on the High Street for senior mail and express executives on Thursday 29 October at Post&Parcel Live. He says that the early ripples of the second Covid wave during September failed to slow retail’s fightback, although local lockdowns in October might well see a marked decrease in High Street footfall.

David says: “These figures are a boost to High Street stores as shoppers prepare to decide how they will shop this Christmas. Even so, despite a slight fall of -1.2 against last month, online’ s 53% growth points the way. Scotland’s National clinical director, Jason Leitch, got a lot of flak yesterday for stating Scots should prepare for a digital Christmas but these figures reveal that online sales will soar throughout the entire UK.

“Sales between July-September were up 17.7% which is heartening. Department stores’ 6% online jump in one month was notable. An amazing 30.8% of all department store sales in September were online. Not every month will see pre-ordering open for two major new games consoles, but it does point the way to a digital Christmas this year.”

To register – free of charge – to attend the Post&Parcel Live online conference visit:  https://www.postandparcel.live/

For more information on how retailers can reduce the impact of a second wave by comparing carriers’ prices and services, see ParcelHero’s updated guide at https://www.parcelhero.com/en-gb/uk-courier-services