Are We Becoming a seven days Per Week Parcel Economy?

The importance of offering a wide range of parcel delivery options is growing every year. According to a study by Royal Mail, almost 40% of consumers say they would buy from eCommerce stores more if they offered a great range of delivery options.

Whereas in the past, offering next day delivery would give you a huge advantage over competitors, today it’s almost expected from consumers. What’s even more apparent is that consumers are becoming increasingly interested in weekend deliveries. So is this the next big move for businesses in the industry?

What parcel delivery services are already available to consumers?

Thanks to the dedication and flexibility of couriers, eCommerce retailers can offer their customers more parcel delivery options than ever before. Whilst most companies offer standard delivery, which can range from 2 – 3 to 3 – 4 working days, many now also next day delivery at a premium rate. Providing customers place their order before a cut off period (say 2pm), many companies are able to get their items to them within 24 hours.

Amazon has gone one better by introducing same day deliveries. As it currently stands, this service is only available for areas within the M25 around London and certain postcodes in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol and Cardiff. The company plans to roll out the service to more customers in the future and there is even talk of a 30 minute delivery service, with the use of Amazon Prime Air drones.

Royal Mail also provides a same day courier service, which guarantees delivery of urgent items on the same day to almost anywhere in the UK. The service is offered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with 98% of collections taking place within the hour.

What’s next?

In addition to offering next day and same day parcel delivery services, many companies have also been introducing weekend deliveries. The great thing about weekend deliveries is that they are much more convenient for the majority of customers, many of whom go out to work in the week and are therefore not in the house when their deliveries arrive.

Introducing weekend deliveries could definitely save on time wasted on failed deliveries, whilst also improving customer satisfaction.

A number of companies are currently offering Sunday deliveries, including Amazon (using its own logistics business), Royal Mail and DPD. These companies have a significant advantage over other businesses in the parcel industry by meeting the demand for more convenient weekend delivery slots.

7 days a week parcel economy

With more and more companies introducing 7 days a week parcel delivery, it seems as though we are heading towards this being the norm. Soon enough, 7 day parcel delivery will be expected by customers, just as most now expect next day delivery as standard. This could potentially mean that those unable to offer 7 day deliveries could really lose out.

A 7 day parcel service obviously benefits the consumer in terms of convenience and companies in terms of improving first time delivery success rates but it also benefits the economy as a whole. With increased demand for weekend deliveries, we are likely to see an increased need for delivery drivers and distribution centre staff, leading to job creation up and down the country.

With demand for quicker and more convenient services, it seems inevitable that 7 day a week delivery is on the cards for the UK parcel economy. We look forward to seeing how things progress over the next year or so.

Image credits: erix! and Andrew Gustar