Europe Braces for Parcel Deluge: Online Stores Anticipate a Whopping 79.4% Surge in Parcels

London, 7 November 2023 – For retailers, the busiest season of the year is just around the corner. Online stores are gearing up for peak weeks, with a staggering parcel volume surge of up to +79.4 percent. The pinnacle of this chaos is set to be Cyber Monday, with 1888 parcels  to be processed per second, a tripling (+228.1%) compared to a standard day, which handles roughly 575 parcels per second. This predicts Sendcloud, the #1 shipping platform in Europe, based on historical data.

According to the projections, roughly 61,327,551 parcels per day will  be delivered in Europe during the fourth quarter, a 36.1 percent surge compared to the previous quarter. While the traditional holidays are scheduled for December, parcel volumes already start to rise from November onwards (+31.2%). Yet, December promises to be the busiest month, with an astonishing increase of 43.4 percent.

“Last year, given the cost-of-living crisis, the resilience of Black Friday and Cyber Monday was a subject of speculation. Culminating in a 5 percent growth, these bargain days proved to be here to stay. This year, we therefore anticipate the traditional peak in parcel deliveries,” said Rob van den Heuvel, CEO and Co-founder at Sendcloud.

“To ensure timely deliveries, we advise consumers to order ahead and consider alternative shipping options. Service points, for instance, are a viable alternative to ease the strain on parcel networks. Additionally, retailers may also find it beneficial to diversify their courier network, allowing them to adapt flexibly to any potential delays.” 

Early birds get the parcels: shoppers advised to prepare for delivery delays 

As the calendar flips to November, online shoppers should prepare for potential delays in deliveries. Although parcel volumes begin to soar as early as week 46, it isn’t until week 48 (with an average delivery time of 2.08 days) that shipments breach the 2-day mark. Normally, parcels are delivered within approximately 1.80 days. Consumers are thus urged to place their orders in a timely manner or explore alternative delivery options. 

Cyber Monday and Black Friday throughout Europe 

While the parcel rush grips all of Europe, there are differences locally. Cyber Monday reigns as the busiest day in most countries, but the Italians and French are set for a pre-Christmas parcel whirlwind on Monday December 11th as parcel volumes increase by 265.2 percent and 298.2 percent respectively. In the Netherlands, unlike the rest of Europe, the parcel rush reaches its peak in week 47 instead of week 50, as Dutch consumers are busy shopping for gifts in preperation of the nationwide celebration of ‘Sinterklaas’.  

About Sendcloud

Founded in 2012, Sendcloud is the end-to-end shipping platform for e-commerce businesses. Backed by SoftBank and trusted by 25,000 companies across Europe, Sendcloud is on a mission to solve shipping globally. The platform enables retailers, marketplaces, and fulfillment companies to scale their shipping operations and deliver exceptional shipping experiences.