PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
Following the sales of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, delivery services are starting to buckle under the pressure.
Yodel has admitted it has stopped collecting parcels from retailers as the company has struggled to deliver the large volume from online shopping.
Tech retailers, including Currys PC World, Tesco and Amazon have also been unable to cope with the large scale of orders, with shoppers facing delivery delays of up to ten days.
Some tech retailers also faced heavy pressure as their websites crashed on Black Friday (November 28th).
Dan Wagner, founder and CEO of Powa Technologies, said: “Shopping events like Cyber Monday, originally a creation of the retail industry and an import from the US, are now moving the milestones of when the peak gift buying season begins, fuelled by the widespread access to smartphones and tablets this year.
“The delivery infrastructure must now quickly catch up to address this fundamental shift in retailing, for what is the busiest time of year."
On Black Friday research predicted that Brits would spend up to £6,435 per second on the day, and shoppers turned up in their droves, with some even fighting over TVs in Tesco on Black Friday.
Across the Black Friday weekend US shoppers also spent $39.9 billion, a 4.8 per cent increase over 2013.
Analyst GfK revealed that many websites struggled with demand due to online promotions, while electrical products saw a growth rate year-on-year of 24 per cent. Check out GfK’s inforgraphic below.
