UK post-Christmas returns are higher this year says parcel firm

As post-Christmas parcel returns ramp up, the numbers appear to be running higher than a year ago with the 2 January figure up 6.8% compared to the same day last year, home delivery specialist Parcelhero has said.

It said around £1.51 billion worth of clothing, electrical goods and toys are now winging their way back to retailers. And with last year seeing a slight dip in Christmas returns, it’s likely they’ll set a new record this week.

Parcelhero’s head of Consumer Research, David Jinks, said: “It looks like there was a notable peak in returns yesterday [2 January] compared to the small but distinct drop in the volume and value of returns last year.

“There was a 554.7% rise in parcel shipments compared to the same day last week, Boxing Day, as people returned to work and faced the hassle of returning unwanted gifts. Last year, the Royal Mail reported 2 January returns were up around 52% on a typical day the previous month and our own figures show that could be exceeded this year.”  

He added: “There are conflicting figures as to how successful this Christmas was for retailers. It seems the anticipated last-minute boom in High Street footfall failed to materialise but online sales figures for Black Friday and beyond are expected to be robust. 

“Certainly, if the number of returns in the parcels system at the moment reflects the amount we bought, people were splashing the cash before Christmas. That said, it’s possible we were all just really bad at choosing gifts this year.”