The average order value for online purchases has increased for 14 months in a row, according to new data.
Figures from the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index showed UK shoppers fuelled most of the increase, with the value for each month increasing compared with the same month the previous year.
Online retail parcel delivery order volumes were also saw a rise of 13.9% year-on-year in April. Easter, which usually provides a boost for retail sales activity, fell early this year, so a dip in volumes would have been expected in April due strong figures last year, however, the monthly decline on March was marginal with a drop of 0.3%.
April recorded lower order volumes compared to the first quarter of the year, but analysts suggested that this may be due to an uplift in on-time delivery performance which was over 90%. They said that a higher share of orders using faster, next-day delivery services is likely to be a main influence.
Andrew Starkey, head of e-logistics at IMRG, said: “It’s so far, so good for order volumes given that, toward the end of last year, the indicators for 2018 were not particularly good – there was a squeeze on household incomes, consumer confidence wasn’t particularly strong and many retailers were reporting tough trading conditions. However, so far 2018 has proved to be a good year for online retail.”
Maria Dahlqvist Canton, global marketing director, MetaPack, added: “While delivery volumes in February, March and April are traditionally lower than during other times of the year, it is heartening to see that order volumes in April 2018 have shown a year-on-year increase.
“This puts year-to-date cumulative growth at 12.9%, right on target for the forecasted 13% growth to the end of the year, which is very positive.”
