Online Shopping Surges Amidst Adverse Conditions

  • Online retail delivery order volumes increased by 7% year-on-year in February
  • January’s high online order volume was the highest since 2013
  • February saw a sharper month-on-month decline than usual
  • Next-day delivery usage reached its highest for February in six years
  • On-time deliveries dropped from 90% in January to under 88% in February
  • Cross-border volumes and order values remained strong, especially for EU destinations

According to the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index, online retail delivery order volumes increased by 7% year-on-year in February. This follows January’s record high online orders since 2013, but experienced a sharper month-on-month decline than usual. Next-day delivery usage reached its highest for the month of February in six years. However, on-time deliveries dropped from 90% in January to under 88% in February due to extreme weather conditions. Cross-border volumes and order values remained strong, particularly for EU destinations.

Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate and objective information about the increase in online retail delivery order volumes, the decline in next-day deliveries, and the impact of extreme weather conditions on on-time deliveries. It also includes expert opinions from Andrew Starkey, head of e-logistics at IMRG. However, it could provide more context or data to support the claim that the ‘retail landscape was looking pretty bleak toward the end of 2018’ and how inflation affected consumer behavior.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about online retail delivery order volumes and their fluctuations, but it lacks in-depth analysis or exploration of underlying causes and potential long-term trends. It also contains some speculation about the impact of weather conditions on performance, which may not be directly related to the core topic.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Online retail and delivery companies
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses online retail delivery order volumes, which can impact financial markets through the performance of these companies and their stocks.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: Other
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: Minor
Extreme Rating Justification: The extreme event mentioned is the heavy snowfall, which affected delivery times but did not have a significant impact on online retail overall.

Reported publicly: www.retailsector.co.uk