48pc growth in global parcel volume

Global parcel volume has grown by 48 per cent over the past two years, according to Pitney Bowes’ latest Parcel Shipping Index.

Parcel volumes grew from 44 billion parcels in 204, to 65 billion in 2016. The index estimates that parcel growth will rise at a rate of 17-28 per cent every year between 2017 and 2021.

“The continued rise of ecommerce globally is keeping the parcel shipping market strong through 2021 as consumers are increasingly looking to online shopping for convenience, price and availability of products from around the world,” said Lila Snyder, executive vice president and president, global e-commerce, Pitney Bowes. “As consumer expectations continue to rise, shipping technology and service providers will need to help retailers and marketplaces meet those demands.”

The index found that in the UK, parcel spend increased by eight per cent to £9.7 billion, and volume increased by 12 per cent to 2.5 billion in 2016. Germany was found to be the largest European parcel market in terms of volume and spend. Parcel spend increased by 6 per cent to €14 billion in 2016. Similarly, parcel volume increased by 6.7 per cent to 3.3 billion in 2016.