MetaPack predicts “bumper” weekend parcel volumes
E-commerce delivery management specialist MetaPack is expecting the last weekend before Christmas to result in record parcel volumes as shoppers catch-up with their festive shopping. MetaPack, which is tracking deliveries using the data collected from its delivery management platform, said that this year has marked a “significant shift” away from the peak profiles of previous years.
Deliveries following Black Friday and the Cyber Weekend reached record numbers as expected, said MetaPack. However, the two subsequent weekends have seen huge growth but not as high as the old models predicted.
Patrick Wall, CEO at MetaPack, explained: “The Cyber Weekend was even stronger than anticipated, and very well managed. It was a controlled exercise which started earlier than in previous years and finished later. These additional days made the weight of activity significant in terms of the amount of shopping done and the ability for consumers to take advantage of discounts. The relative increases in the first couple of weeks in December haven’t been as great compared with previous years. All our data says consumers are now catching up and we’ll see a bumper weekend.”
MetaPack said that its analysis indicates carrier performance has been “consistently high” across the entire Peak period, as result of “improved communication, collaboration and forecasting within the industry”. MetaPack believes that this has encouraged consumers to feel more confident about ordering closer to Christmas, knowing their parcels will arrive by Christmas Eve.
“The profile this year is entirely different,” added Wall. “We get four more shopping days after this weekend; people are likely to be paid on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd; and because delivery standards have been consistently high across the country, there will be a flurry of activity almost up to Christmas Day.”
