How have the last 12 months shaped the world of eCommerce?
- luke1564
- Jun 1, 2020
- 2 min read
The E-Commerce space is ever-evolving and we are all seeing a number of changes in the services customers require.
Consumer expectations on parcel services are always being challenged, so we all find ourselves constantly having to change how we encourage them to click through to the shopping basket
International volume for fulfilling B2C outside of the domestic market in the UK is increasing.
Monthly parcel volumes continue to increase by 20% / 25% compared to this time last year
Throughout the COVID-19 period, we have seen a number of our customers have seen a huge increase in demand on their B2C offering, and are having to switch from FBA to FBM within the Amazon network due to Amazon going through a stage of only taking essential goods. This resulted in customers who are 100% reliant on Amazon to rethink their business plan and routes to market.
There has been a 146% growth in all online retail orders, which has put huge pressure on the carrier networks. While Hermes previously saw its daily parcel volume at 3 million throughout peak periods such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday etc, they have recently been experiencing volume in the region of 8 million.Â
Usually during the Christmas peak period, you see a spike in client complaints regarding the last mile delivery, however, with everyone being at home and having implemented new processes of parcels being left on door steps and photographed as proof, the KPIs for deliveries have been maintained at 98% and delays through the carrier hubs have been minimal.
This growth in online sales has unfortunately seen a rise in fraudsters attempting to obtain and use financial data through Covid-19-related phishing scams. Overall, average fraudulent attempted purchase value grew by £30 in March, with fraudulent attempted transactional value increasing by 13%.
As with any change in a market space, COVID-19 has seen some winners and some losers, with some markets having been hit with a decrease in sales of over 75%.
Some examples
Winners:
Food and Beverage continues to see 7.2% growth
Gifts and Electrical, + 18.9% - one of the biggest winners, mainly driven by consumers needing items to work from and be entertained at home
Apparel & Accessories, + 14.3%
Toys & Games, + 7%
Home and Garden, + 8.4%
Losers:
Luggage, - 77%, with the cancellation of global travel, new luggage is not required
Cameras & Equipment, - 64%
Swimwear, - 62%
Gym Bags, - 57%, due to the closure of gyms and more people exercising around the home
Store Fixings and Displays, - 50%
