Ecommerce and delivery trends 2019.
Notes from The Delivery Conference.
E-commerce and delivery experts gathered in London earlier this year to hear from industry leaders on delivery, customer experience and expectation, cross-border trade, logistics and supply chain strategy.
Scurri gathered notes from the main talks on the day. Here we share insights from speaker Patrick Wall, Founder of Metapack.
Trends in the delivery industry.
Last year, growth in the UK’s delivery numbers dropped from 8% in November to 4% in December, according to Patrick Wall, the founder of MetaPack, the main organisers of the Delivery Conference 2019. Wall noted that this trend was not reflected across continental Europe.
Image c @shdlogistics
Making a presentation on the trends in the delivery industry, he noted that the quality of service from carriers has not been a challenge across the UK for the last five years.
While there are 24 hours picking, packaging and delivery processes and systems to manage peak, there’s a gap around the management of data and huge systems.
Patrick Wall,
Founder, MetaPack.
He added that if there were issues, they could be about the timeliness of tracking information, quality of APIs and the response times.
Brexit affecting cross border sales.
Wall said that Brexit has negatively affected e-commerce sales, leaving all businesses in an incredibly ambiguous position. Citing the MetaPack state of e-commerce research, he said that a third of consumers are already changing their cross border buying habits because of uncertainty brought about by Brexit.
January sales of online retail were only 10% of the expected target.
According to the report, two-thirds of a £50 billion export market between the UK and Europe is in jeopardy.
Wall mentioned three trends that emerged in MetaPack’s annual industry research.
- New businesses are embracing e-commerce.
As a trend, new brands jumping into e-commerce can be more agile using best in class technology and taking better advantage of global marketplaces and streamlined logistics.
On the flip side, Wall noted that older brands aren’t seen to be embracing the latest trends as they are hampered by legacy systems.
- Businesses are strengthening their focus on customer experience.
The second trend, he said, was about businesses strengthening their focus on customer experience. “We are seeing better relationships between retailers, carriers and the customer,” he said.
Interestingly, businesses are moving back to investing in brick and mortar structures to enhance customer experience and interaction adds Wall.
- More consolidation in the carrier market.
Citing the findings of the MetaPack research, Wall said that the third trend is about consolidation and cost-cutting in the carrier market, necessitated by rising costs and competition. He said that carriers need to collaborate to optimise coverage, especially on less profitable routes.
The delivery market has grown tremendously in the last 10 years, it’s great to see it mature.
Patrick Wall,
Founder, MetaPack.
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AUTHOR
Alan O’Rourke Marketing Specialist, Scurri