The consumer landscape has changed dramatically over the last few years. Whereas once it was the face to face transaction which was the most common, now it is online commerce which very much rules the roost. This is particularly true of the retail industry, which has seen the majority of high street retailers now operating online concerns alongside their more traditional avenues of trading. Online trading in the business to business sector is now also extremely popular.
A Winning Situation for Courier Firms
One of the main industries to benefit from this explosion in online shopping activity is the courier industry. It is a simple equation really. The more trading which occurs online, the greater the number of parcels to be delivered. It is a winning situation for the nation’s many courier firms. As recently reported by TechWeekEurope UK, the rise in popularity of smartphone shopping has pushed online sales even higher. The online boom has also seen former entertainment retail giant HMV announce in Retail Week its return to the digital shopping arena, just two years after its well publicised trading troubles.
Before the true dominance of the online market fully took hold, most of the courier industry was concerned with the business to business sector. Now however, the domestic side of the courier industry is one of the fastest-growing businesses in the country, experiencing huge levels of growth in the past couple of years. As a result in this change in emphasis, many courier and express delivery firms have adapted the services they offer in order to better serve their domestic customers.
A Change in Emphasis
One such change is the increase in next day and same day delivery services. The online revolution has influenced the speed at which we live our lives and consumers now expect their goods to be delivered promptly and without delay. This has seen many couriers become far more specific with their delivery estimates, moving away from 24-hour and 48-hour slots and focusing more on actual time-specific windows. These changes can only mean good news for consumers, with courier firms raising their service levels to remain competitive in a thriving market.
One of the other sectors within the parcel industry which has benefited enormously from the online retail phenomenon is that which deals with packaging machines and supplies. The demand for the likes of strapping machines and pallet wrapping machines is only likely to get bigger as the online boom continues.
With digital technology continuing to become more advanced, allowing people to access online services from wherever they may be, digital commerce is sure to continue to grow in strength. Indeed, it is difficult to see any other outcome. Manchester web design agency Bamboo Solutions offer an array of website designs in all shapes and sizes, so if you’re business is thinking of venturing into the online world why not give them a call.