Online deliveries up 7pc

Online retail delivery order volumes were up seven per cent year-on-year in February, according to the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index.

However, the fall from January, at 21 per cent, was sharper than in previous years.

The figures also highlighted a growth in next day delivery at the expense of two-to-three day, as well as a fall in the percentage on on-time deliveries (88 per cent against 90 per cent the month before).

Andrew Starkey, head of e-logistics at IMRG: “The huge surge in online retail orders placed in January, when online appeared to benefit from footfall to high streets hitting a five-year January low, appears to have flowed through to lower February volumes.

“The extreme weather conditions experienced in February have clouded start of year performance trends so it is difficult to predict the outlook for online retail overall at the moment.”