The newly formed habits of shoppers last year determined an increase in online shopping and record parcel volumes. Meanwhile, the second lockdown in Lithuania led to an earlier peak in Christmas deliveries causing many new challenges to e-commerce businesses, consumers and parcel delivery service providers.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parcel delivery service providers had a record number of deliveries during the holidays. Venipak, an express parcel delivery service provider, reported that between November and Christmas Day, the company’s couriers delivered almost one million parcels. In December, the company saw a 100% increase in deliveries compared to 2019. The 2020 results exceeded both the usual record-breaking Black Friday deliveries and the increase in the number of parcels during the first lockdown. The number of parcels delivered by Venipak during the second lockdown increased by 35% compared to the first lockdown.
“Although starting from the end of November we recorded an increase in the number of orders on a daily basis, all parcel recipients, as planned, received their gifts by Christmas,” said Justas Šablinskas, General Manager at Venipak. “Despite the significant increase in the volumes of parcels, we accepted orders until December 22nd and up to 93% of the parcels were delivered by our couriers without delays—we provided 1-2 day delivery service up until Christmas Eve. We are pleased that our team managed to achieve this goal.”
Orders coming directly from e-business to consumers saw an increase of up to 70% in the total number of orders. Meanwhile, as far as the Christmas gift trends are concerned, people spending more time at home opted for such gifts as home decor, tableware, kitchen utensils, and cosmetic and electronic products. Venipak noted that the deliveries of books, cosmetics and home decor products purchased online increased three times in 2020. Sales of packaging products increased by 100%, sales of toys and children’s goods increased by 80%, and sales of coffee, coffee machines and tea increased by up to 50%.
According to Šablinskas, the most intensive period of the year inevitably encouraged the company to look for effective solutions. During the holiday period, Venipak doubled the number of couriers and warehouse employees, recruiting nearly 200 new employees. Also, the company focused on the improvement of the contactless door-to-door delivery and the introduction of 11 new contactless parcel terminals in Lithuania. A new partnership between Venipak and the Lithuanian Post offered even more convenient services during the holidays—Venipak delivered parcels to LP Express parcel terminals in 81 towns and cities in Lithuania.
Venipak is aware that in the first months of 2021 there will be a significant drop in the parcel traffic, but due to the global pandemic and the increased volumes of e-commerce, the number of delivery orders will in any case remain higher than in the previous year.
“The Christmas season was incredibly intense and the growth was much higher than we had anticipated,” Šablinskas noted. “We are sure that not only the Christmas season, but also the pandemic which has caused changes in the market, have taught us valuable lessons. The Venipak team is sincerely grateful to everyone for their patience waiting for the parcels during the holiday period. In the future, the provision of quality services to customers and consumers, whose trust in us encourages us to pursue further development, will remain our key priority.”
About Venipak
The international company Venipak, founded in 2004, provides parcel delivery services and offers efficient logistics solutions for businesses. The company implements innovations and regularly invests in system upgrades. It is the only provider of order fulfillment services in Lithuania to e-businesses. In order to ensure a broader reach of customers, the company is rapidly expanding its parcel collection network, which currently consists of nearly delivery points in the Baltic countries. With annual revenues of up to EUR 40 million, Venipak also operates in Poland, Germany, the USA and China.