It’s The Most Busiest Time Of The Year
The
time has come to talk about Christmas. We can’t avoid it any
longer. And it had to be fair it’s one of the busiest times of the
year for the delivery sector, so it was kind of inevitable.
Even
as you read, there’ll be thousands of deliveries underway going to
homes, supermarkets, distribution centres and warehouses. Hundreds of
tonnes of gifts, food, drink and all the other adornments of a
classic British Christmas will move from where it’s made to where
it’s needed. How would we all have a happy yuletide if it weren’t
for all the dedicated drivers bringing it to us?
Of
course, we have to concede that even with all this activity, no one
is as busy as the big man himself. When you think about it, Santa is
probably the busiest and most efficient delivery person in human
history. If we could bottle the magic he uses to transport so much in
so little time we’d all be billionaires.
It’s
worth looking at some of the key stats that show just how much the
delivery sector contributes at Christmas and some of the challenges
involved. So why not refresh your glass of eggnog, sit back and
prepare yourself to read some big numbers.
Here we go…
Let
The Chaos Commence
Brits
will splash over £20 billion on gifts in 2019 with 42% of UK
consumers total Christmas spending ordered online. UK shoppers are
the most enthusiastic online spenders in Europe and spend 42% more
online compared to the European average.
The
majority of those buying gifts online will have them delivered
directly to their door by an army of permanent and contract delivery
drivers.
There
is a little ray of light for beleaguered high-street shops with a
projected 13% increase in Christmas shoppers deciding to shop
in-store in 2019. Let’s not forget they need deliveries too!
Having
said that Amazon now outstrips the High Street as the primary place
where gift hunting and orders take place. The tipping point came in
2018 where 30.1% of respondents favoured Amazon over 30.0% who
preferred the High Street.
One-sixth
of consumers complained their parcels arrived late in 2018.
Surprisingly 29% complained their delivery arrived too early, so they
were not there to accept it.
In
all, delivery failures could cost retailers over £3bn in lost sales
in 2019.
Complaints about delivery driver behaviour included: left in a wheelie bin (which was then emptied), left out in the rain for 48 hours and, in one case the package was pushed through an open toilet window.
Most depressing, over 50% of online UK shoppers had at least one delivery problem last Christmas. There’s certainly room for improvement but the introduction of innovative delivery tech’ will help to address these shortcomings in the future.
Spare A Thought
When you consider the massive amount of deliveries made over Christmas, we should spare a thought for everyone in the hard-working delivery sector. They’re doing their best to bring festive cheer to us all. It’s hardly surprising that things don’t always go as planned. But the vast majority of deliveries will be successful, consumers will get their orders, and everyone will have a very happy festive season.
What’s more, the massive expansion in online Christmas deliveries is an enormous opportunity for the logistics sector which is good news for all involved.
Delivering Season’s Greetings
So, finally,
from all the team at Truckcraft, we’d like to say ‘have a great
Christmas to one and all’. To our clients, suppliers, our team and
our many dedicated colleagues in the frontline delivery industry.
Thanks for all your hard work and here’s to another great year in
2020!
For more information on our range of festive-friendly delivery vehicles, please contact the Truckcraft Bodies sales team on 0161 304 9404. Alternatively, email glen.pinder@truckcraftbodies.co.uk or emma.jane@truckcraftbodies.co.uk.
Published: Dec 18