International e-commerce giant Amazon announced that the number of UK deliveries it made on Sundays has quadrupled since last year.
The dramatic increase indicates the degree to which Amazon has taken control of its own distribution network via Amazon Logistics – an arm set up in 2012 to act as a ‘backbone service‘ to complement other carriers. A Sunday delivery service is now available in most large UK cities and is free for members of Amazon Prime.
Christopher North, Amazon UK‘s Chief Executive, said last year that “it‘s about expanding the total capacity in the UK for fast delivery. At this time of year, [black Friday] our business is doing many, many multiples of what we do in the rest of the year. That is something that no one carrier can meet.” The logistical platform has allowed Amazon to work with many delivery companies which it would not have been able to previously, increasing capacity across the network.
The net result is that consumers now have more choice than ever before about when their goods are delivered. Sunday 21 December was the busiest Sunday of 2014, displaying the demand for the expanded delivery capacity in the run-up to Christmas.
Jamie Stephenson, the UK Director of Amazon Logistics, said: “We‘re excited that so many customers are taking advantage of Sunday delivery and that so many local and regional delivery companies continue to join the Amazon Logistics platform.” Amazon UK has not revealed publicly what proportion of its deliveries are facilitated through Amazon Logistics, but it is understood to reach close to 50% some weeks.
John Pincott, Managing Director, Europe, of e-commerce expert Shopatron, commented: “The news from Amazon that Sunday deliveries in the UK have quadrupled compared to last year shows how vital it is that retailers wake-up to the shift in consumer purchasing behaviour and aim to deliver on convenience.
“In order for smaller and medium-sized retailers to compete with giant such as Amazon, it is vital that they consider key services such as ship-from-store and click & collect which provide the quick and efficient fulfilment that consumers have become accustomed to.”
