Store owners report record Black Friday parcel service demand

Online Black Friday and Christmas purchases are driving record levels of click and collect customers into convenience stores, according to retailers and parcel service providers.

Janette Tucker from Lifestyle Express in Winscombe said: “Our click and collects have nearly doubled, we normally have just three or four but now it’s taking up quite a bit of space!”

It’s the same in Nayan Amin’s Best-One store in Dunstable. Amin told Retail Express: “Over 100 are going out every day now and last Tuesday we had the most we’ve had in a single day, well over 200 parcels.”

Retailers partnered with MyHermes saw a 150% increase in the number of items received on the Monday following Black Friday according to the head of ParcelShop services, Kath Gill. Gill told Retail Express: “This week we expect a 100% increase in the number of parcels sent to myHermes ParcelShops across the UK for customer collection, compared to a normal week.”

Online retail software provider Vend reported an 8% decrease in sales on Black Friday compared to last year, but click and collect is expected to take up a larger share of the market. HubBox CEO Sam Jarvis previously told Retail Express click and collect will grow to at least 25% of UK online orders.

PayPoint’s parcels services director Gary Winter told Retail Express that the lines between online and offline sales are increasingly blurred. He stated: “Set piece events in the retail calendar, such as Black Friday, are a case in point as customers look to grab a bargain. This can provide a huge boost to retailers up and down the country as along with commission earned for every parcel handled, it provides additional footfall and additional basket spend.”

Janette Tucker agreed, adding that additional spend can be collected from parcel customers through strong impulse and confectionery displays.

Asked about whether the growth in the service increased spend elsewhere in his store Amin responded: “Some people who use the service do pick up other items, but it’s important that you make parcels work like any other product in your store. It has to be strong enough to stand on its own.”