Boomerang Thursday: the Busiest Day for Parcel Returns in 2011

LONDON, December 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Over two million parcels expected to be returned following 'Mega Monday'

CollectPlus today warns retailers to expect a surge in returned goods following 'Mega Monday' as online shoppers rush to secure replacement gifts before Christmas.

The innovative parcel delivery service has conducted research showing that one in ten (10%)^[1] festive gifts bought online last year were returned before Christmas. It forecasts that over two million parcels will be returned this week, with the peak day set to be 1^st December, dubbed 'Boomerang Thursday'.

The next five weeks are set to be one of the busiest periods for returns, following significant growth in online retail, which is predicted to hit £7.75bn in the five shopping weeks in December, according to the IMRG, the UK's industry association for e-retail.

A 15% increase in parcel return volumes is expected during the week, thanks to increasingly high levels of consumer confidence in the returns process. Today, over one in three (37%) online shoppers are fully confident of receiving replacement gifts in time for Christmas, just three weeks out from the big day. Conversely, less than a fifth (17%) would request a refund and buy the gift elsewhere for fear of not receiving the replacement in time.

CollectPlus works with its network of over 4,500 corner shops to offer consumers the opportunity to pick up and return deliveries to and from their local shop at a time that is convenient for them. CollectPlus' innovative returns service allows parcels to be dropped off outside working hours, with 98% of outlets open seven days a week and, normally, early in the morning until late at night. Indeed, last Christmas, one enterprising shopper in Lancashire went so far as to return a parcel at 09.43am on Christmas Day.

CollectPlus is a joint venture between PayPoint, the UK's leading retail payment network, and the UK's leading parcel delivery company Yodel.

Mark Lewis, CEO of CollectPlus, comments:

"Despite the tough economic conditions, we're still expecting a bumper Christmas for online retailers. Throughout 2011, the commercial benefits that a clear and efficient returns service can bring, has increasingly become clear to retailers. However, with customers staying loyal to those that make this area a focus, it is important that this is sustained throughout the festive period. More and more consumers are becoming confident in the ease of use of services such as Click & CollectPlus and with a greater number of retailers recognising this, we see it as a growth area as we move into the new year."

Thanks to CollectPlus' innovative parcel tracking system, which sees returns scanned immediately when dropped off in a store, retailers this year will have better and earlier visibility of the volume of goods being returned, allowing more effective warehouse and stock management to ensure availability for shoppers in the run up to Christmas.

David J Smith, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at IMRG, commented: "The peak pre-Christmas online shopping period is now fully underway; we are estimating that £3.72bn will be spent during this week and the next, as online continues to increase in popularity among consumers. One of the most important considerations to consumers when purchasing online is how convenient the fulfillment options are. Our own research found that 46.5% of online shoppers are influenced on their choice of retailer by the delivery service provided. This is why services such as that provided by CollectPlus are so valuable to the industry, providing the consumer with that choice and convenience that can greatly improve the experience."

82% of people in towns in the UK are within a mile of a CollectPlus shop, which are all part of the PayPoint network. CollectPlus provides additional choice, flexibility and convenience for retailers and their customers. Not only do customers benefit from the extended opening hours, but retailers are able to accurately track goods as they make their way back to the depot, allowing them to manage stock more effectively.

About CollectPlus

CollectPlus is a delivery and returns service giving online shoppers greater freedom and flexibility with the choice of collecting and dropping off parcels at local convenience stores.

With 98% of CollectPlus outlets open seven days a week and, normally, early in the morning until late at night, the service offers online shoppers the option to pick up or drop off purchases at a time and place convenient to them. 82% of the UK population lives within a mile of a CollectPlus store in urban areas, and 83% within five miles in rural areas.

CollectPlus is a joint venture between PayPoint, the leading retail payment network, and the UK leading parcel delivery company Yodel.

In 2011, CollectPlus has been named 'Third Party Logistics Supplier' of the year at the Retail Week Supply Chain awards; 'Innovative Delivery Service' at IMRG's eCommerce Excellence Awards; and has been highly commended by Retail Systems for 'Supply Chain Solution of the Year'.

About PayPoint

PayPoint is a leading international provider of convenient payments and value added services to major consumer service organisations in the utility, housing, water, telecoms, media, financial services, transport, retail, e-commerce, gaming and public sectors.

PayPoint delivers payments and services through a uniquely strong combination of local shops, internet and mobile distribution channels and handles over £11 billion from 600 million transactions annually for more than 5,000 clients and merchants.  

Retail networks

The PayPoint branded retail network in the UK numbers over 23,000 local shops (including Co-op, Spar, McColls, Costcutter, Sainsbury's Local, One Stop, Londis and thousands of independents). CollectPlus, a joint venture with Yodel, provides a parcel collection and drop off service at more than 4,500 PayPoint retailers. Its ATM network numbers more than 2,500 'LINK' branded machines across the UK, mainly in the same sites as PayPoint terminals.

In Romania, the branded retail network numbers over 6,500 terminals located in local shops, processing cash bill payments for utilities and mobile phone top-ups. In the Republic of Ireland, over 500 outlets in shops and credit unions process mobile top-ups and bill payments.

Internet

PayPoint.net is an internet payment service provider linking into all major UK acquiring banks to deliver secure online credit and debit card payments for over 5,500 web merchants. It offers a comprehensive set of products ranging from a transaction gateway through to a bureau service and FraudGuard, an advanced service to mitigate the risk of fraud.

PayByPhone

PayByPhone is a leading international provider of services to parking authorities allowing consumers to use their mobile phones to pay for their parking by credit or debit card.  It has contracts in the UK, France, Canada and the USA.

PayPoint is widely recognised for its leadership in prepayment systems, smart technology and consumer service.

About Yodel

Yodel Notes to Editors

1. Home Delivery Network Ltd on 1 March 2010 purchased through its subsidiary company, Parcelpoint Ltd, the domestic B2B and B2C businesses of DHL Express (UK) Ltd and rebranded as Yodel in May 2010
2. Yodel delivers more than 200 million parcels per year with annual revenues of £650 million
3. It is the second-largest parcel delivery business in the UK after the Royal Mail
4. Yodel operates from a national network of sort and service centres and has a fleet of over 5,000 vans
5. The company is headquartered in Hatfield.

[1] Figures taken from research carried out by Opinium on behalf of CollectPlus. 2000 online consumers were polled in November 2011

For more information or to speak to Mark Lewis of CollectPlus, please contact the CollectPlus Press Office on: T: +44(0)207-025-6500. E:[email protected]

SOURCE CollectPlus