The latest Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index has shown that global parcel volumes surpassed 100 billion in 2019, reaching 103 billion. Australians shipped 934 million parcels in 2019, an increase of 8% year over year (YoY) with an average of 37 parcels shipped per person.
Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that provides commerce solutions in ecommerce, shipping, mailing, data and financial services.
The research also found that e-commerce retail sales grew by 4% YoY to reach USD 15.7 billion ($22 billion) in 2019, making Australia the 10th largest ecommerce market worldwide.
Pitney Bowes Japan, Australia and New Zealand, vice president and country manager, Stephen Darracott said, “Unsurprisingly, shipping volumes and revenue continue to grow in Australia. When we break down the 934 million parcels sent throughout 2019, that equates to an average of more than 2.5 million parcels each day and more than 106 thousand per hour or 1,777 per minute or 30 per second.
“The spike in e-commerce is driven by the popularity of sales events and marketplaces, the introduction of buy now pay later (BNPL) payment options, affordable logistics and faster deliveries with next business day deliveries growing significantly at 21% YoY.
“In 2020, the pandemic has completely changed the way Australians live and work, and it is driving a further push towards online shopping. Pitney Bowes is soon launching a new online parcel sending platform, which will let businesses simply manage all shipping in one place, from their computer.”
The report forecasts parcel volume is likely to more than double and reach 220 to 262 billion parcels by 2026, with a 14.8% CAGR for 2020 to 2024. Due to increased uncertainty, fueled by the global pandemic, the forecast provides a range that shows volumes could be as low as 200 billion or as high as 316 billion parcels in six years.