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Online shoppers are being advised to opt for named-day delivery services, or consider collecting their package, in the wake of a surge in doorstep parcel thefts. The problems are being blamed on the fallout from the Royal Mail strike, and the return to the office.
The number of claims for missing parcels jumped by 59% in the year to June compared with the previous 12 months, according to figures from the technology firm Metapack.
The increase is said to be linked to retailers switching to rival parcel delivery firms, with different service propositions, during the recent industrial action.
“I don’t think any of the carriers are bad, but they have very different doorstep policies,” the Metapack chief customer officer, Tom Forbes, says.
The more expensive a parcel, the more likely it is that the courier will make more than one attempt at delivery, or it will be handed over for a signature.
While it might be annoying to return home to one of Royal Mail’s dreaded “something for you” red cards, at least you can retrieve the item from the delivery office.
However, if you have a front door that opens on to the street, carriers with a single-delivery policy might leave the parcel on your doorstep, in a “perceived safe space”, or with a neighbour, Forbes says.
The huge increase in missing parcels points to rising levels of theft – so-called “porch piracy” – during the cost of living crisis. Other forms of retail crime are up sharply, with the British Retail Consortium estimating there were 8m “theft incidents” in shops last year, costing £953m.
“We have the data in terms of the number of claims going up, and we can see those claims are validated,” Forbes says.
“Whether they’re stolen from a doorstep, or whether it’s an operational failure, I can’t tell. I doubt it’s operational, though, as carriers’ processes and procedures actually get better every year.”
The company has a league table of the best and worst-performing couriers but does not share the data because “it’s pretty explosive at times”, Forbes says.
“The problem is sometimes with a driver and, on rare occasions, with one of the depots the carriers operate.”
Metapack has an overview of the delivery landscape, as its software finds slots for parcels dispatched by retailers such as John Lewis and Boohoo within a network of 350 carriers. It helps move more than 1bn packages a year.
To avoid being a victim, shoppers are advised to think carefully about when they are going to be at home, and to understand the shipping service their chosen retailer uses.
Many larger stores now offer preferred day or time slots, but small businesses may have a more general three- to five-day delivery window.
Also, consider whether your address is “unlucky”, Forbes says. “If you do live in an area where parcels are likely to go missing, then ship with someone who offers collection from a local convenience store.”
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