UK, Europe e-commerce order volumes rose 18% in Q2

UK-based e-tailers saw their ​local and European e-commerce order volumes increasing by 18% year on year in Q2, helped by widespread warmer weather that boosted sales in multiple categories.

And for June alone, gross merchandise value (GMV) jumped 25%, according to Scurri Unpacked data.

Temperatures reached record levels in many countries in the last two months and this supported seasonal categories, including garden and outdoor (+48%), homewares (+46%), fashion (+33%) and sports equipment (+31%).

Specific UK e-commerce volumes were up 6% for the quarter with food and drink, fashion, and pet purchases among the top-performing categories by volume.
 
But the data showed that US volumes declined by 17% as the impact of tariffs hampered performance.

Scurri analysed trends based on over 200 million annual shipments processed through its delivery management platform and said the overall Q2 increase in the UK was driven in part by Father’s Day spending. The influence of this gifting occasion can be seen in the top-performing UK categories during the quarter, which included food and drink, fashion, pet and animal, and tools and DIY.

International shipping volumes were also strong.  Germany posted a 37% increase in volumes, followed by Poland (+28%) and Ireland (+21%). But as mentioned, US volumes dropped, hurt by the introduction of a 10% tax on UK imports back in April.

Scurri also said that e-commerce brands “continued to use delivery options as a lever for customer satisfaction and brand trust”.  

Signature-on-delivery services saw a 21% rise quarter-on-quarter (QoQ), and a 28% one on the year, “indicating a growing demand for delivery assurance among shoppers, perhaps in response to ongoing growing concern around parcel fraud and theft”.

Next-day delivery volumes were flat QoQ but up 29% on the year, “pointing to steady demand for speed”. Interestingly too, weekend delivery volumes may have dropped by 26% compared to Q1 (perhaps an expected decline given fewer gifting events), but year-on-year this service recorded the highest growth at +47%.  And two-day delivery saw a 19% QoQ rise as shoppers looked for “a balanced option between cost and speed”.

“The uplift in outdoor, gifting and lifestyle categories shows how quickly consumer needs can shift and the importance of responding in real-time to capitalise on sales,” said Rory O’Connor, Founder and CEO of Scurri.