Royal Mail : Remote and rural areas of UK are shopping hotspots for online Black Friday purchases

Royal Mail today reveals the top ten areas where shoppers made the most online purchases over the course of Black Friday weekend this year. Savvy shoppers in Shetland Islands top the list of the UK’s top buyers in the biggest cyber shopping event of the year, followed by Kirkwall, Hebrides, Central London and North West London.

Central London tops the England list, Shetland Islands the Scotland list, Llandrindod Wells the Wales list and Strabane the Northern Ireland list.

This year, rural and remote locations dominate the top ten list*. For many of these customers, online shopping has become central to their way of life as they have negotiated the impacts of the pandemic. Royal Mail domestic parcel volumes are up around a third compared to pre-COVID levels.

Online purchases made during Black Friday weekend and beyond will continue to be distributed by retailers and delivered by Royal Mail over the coming days, depending on consumer preferences.

Nick Landon, Chief Commercial Officer at Royal Mail, said: “We’re proud to play such an important role in delivering Christmas. Given our unparalleled reach across the UK, we’re uniquely placed to reveal the Black Friday weekend online shopping hotspots for 2021. Customers across the UK continue to put their trust in the knowledge, expertise and reassurance of the Royal Mail brand.”

Royal Mail delivering at Christmas:

Parcel Collect:

Royal Mail’s Parcel Collect service is a convenient way to send parcels or returns this Christmas. With this service, postmen and postwomen collect parcels and returns from customers while they carry out their daily round. As well as offering even higher levels of convenience, the move enables online sellers and online shoppers to mail or return a pre-paid item by post from the comfort of their own home. Royal Mail’s Parcel Postboxes are another option for sending parcels or return items.

Shop Early and Post Early for Christmas:

Royal Mail is encouraging customers to order their online gifts and shopping well in advance, and to post their festive greetings early, to help its postmen and women deliver the bumper festive mailbag. Its latest recommended posting dates for mail to arrive in time for Christmas are:

UK latest recommended posting dates for Christmas 2021 are:

Saturday 18 December

• 2nd Class
• 2nd Class Signed For
• Royal Mail 48®

Tuesday 21 December

• 1st Class
• 1st Class Signed For
• Royal Mail 24®

Thursday 23 December

• Special Delivery Guaranteed®

Further information is available at www.royalmail.com/greetings

Ends