According to one estimate, people in Germany will order slightly more gifts and other goods online during the Christmas season than in the previous year. The Federal Association of Parcel & Express Logistics (Biek) announced on Friday in Berlin that around 400 million shipments are expected to be delivered by companies to citizens. That would be 5 million more than at the end of 2022.
It’s about the months of November and December, which are considered Christmas time in the parcel industry. Then retailers on the internet advertise particularly strongly for customers’ favor with discount campaigns such as Black Friday and people receive a correspondingly large number of packages.
The parcel companies already know relatively precisely about the shipment volumes because they have received feedback from their retail customers. At the end of 2022, the volume of parcels between retailers and private customers had fallen by around ten percent (45 million shipments) as the consequences of the Ukraine war, including inflation and energy uncertainty, had dampened consumer sentiment. This year, consumers’ state of shock has been lifted, said a Biek spokeswoman, referring to the slightly increasing numbers. In addition, tariff increases have a positive effect on people’s purchasing behavior.
However, the weakening economy is noticeable in the volumes. If you also take into account the courier, express and parcel shipments from companies to companies and the niche of shipments from consumers to consumers, the amount falls by 10 million to 715 million, according to industry estimates.
Driven by booming online trade, the parcel industry has experienced rapid growth, which accelerated during Corona times. According to Biek, around 355 million parcels were delivered to consumers in Germany during the 2019 Christmas season – before the pandemic. At the end of 2021, the previous high of 440 million was reached. (dpa)