If you look at the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent retail quarterly e-commerce sales report several estimates are particularly telling. “The fourth quarter 2023 e-commerce estimate increased 7.5 percent (±1.2%) from the fourth quarter of 2022 while total retail sales increased 2.8 percent (±0.4%) in the same period. E-commerce sales in the fourth quarter of 2023 accounted for 15.6 percent of total sales.”
While there are many ways to interpret the bureau’s findings, one thing is certain: consumers today are omnichannel shoppers, a point made clear as they flocked back to the brick-and-mortar stores they love and missed during the pandemic, but still continued to enjoy the convenience of online shopping.
In this new normal in which consumers frequently shop at brick-and-mortar stores and online – including shopping online and picking up at the store – parcel shippers play an increasingly important role. Not only do they dramatically impact the e-commerce fulfillment operations and the customer satisfaction that hinges on whether orders are reliably and effectively delivered on time, but they also provide important intelligence and support for other mission-critical business functions.
This includes everything from providing data that can be used to help determine where new stores will be located to helping marketing departments develop pricing strategies that dramatically impact how competitive a brand is online. (As all shippers know, the ability to offer “free” or discounted shipping for online purchases is determined by parcel shipping performance.) For more insight how parcel shipping acumen and performance is helping the most successful omnichannel retailers grow their bottom-line and top-line results while strengthening relationships with their carrier partners , see our latest case study on our valued customer Boot Barn below and view our on-demand webinar “Parcel Shipping in Style: A Reveel Apparel Case Study.”
