London, 30 November 2023 – The busiest day of the year in e-commerce is behind us. With parcel volumes tripling by 219 percent, Cyber Monday marks the busiest shipping day of 2023. Data from Sendcloud, Europe’s leading shipping platform with insights gathered from 25,000 online stores, reveals 1,836 parcels were being processed each second on this particular day.
Cyber Monday beats Black Friday in number of parcels
As the Black Friday weekend propelled retailers and carriers into overdrive, twice as many parcels were recorded on Black Friday, totaling over 104 million across Europe (+111%). Cyber Monday stole the spotlight however with a whopping 158 million parcels (+219%) being shipped in one single day.
While Cyber Monday claims the crown as the peak shipping day, the delivery rush is far from over. Historical trends show that the top five busiest shipping days all fall on a Monday within the last six weeks of the year. Retailers are advised to brace themselves for a peak of parcels on December 4, 11 and 18, as the busiest week is still ahead of us with as many as 79 percent more parcels expected in the run-up to Christmas in week 50.
Service points as a solution for on-time delivery
To mitigate potential delays, customers are advised to consider redirecting deliveries to a service point nearby. Not only does this alleviate the strain on parcel networks, it also offers a faster shipping alternative. In Germany, delivery to a service point takes an average of 1.59 days compared to 1.96 days for home delivery. Similarly, in the Netherlands, service point delivery boasts a speedier 1.49 days compared to 1.61 days for home delivery.
Rob van den Heuvel, CEO and Co-founder of Sendcloud explains “Although Cyber Monday has passed, the surge in parcel deliveries is likely to persist until Christmas with a heightened risk of delays. In addition to ordering on time, we encourage consumers to consider alternative shipping options, such as opting for delivery to a nearby service point. Service points not only provide a feasible alternative to ease the burden on parcel networks, but also help to ensure the timely delivery of Christmas gifts for everyone.”
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 fulfilment companies to scale their shipping operations and deliver exceptional shipping experiences.
