General election is bad news for under pressure retailers, ParcelHero

The date the government has chosen for the general election, the second Thursday in December, was the busiest gift sending day of the year in 2018. And Christmas orders and deliveries will be hit hard in what has already been a terrible 2019 for many retailers, according to ParcelHero.

“The government couldn’t have chosen a worse day for retailers and shoppers sending parcels than the 12th,” says David Jinks, Head of Consumer Research at ParcelHero.

“Customers using ParcelHero to send parcels through companies such as DHL, UPS and TNT reached their absolute peak on this day last year. Our Christmas parcel tool reveals the 12th is the optimum time for sending presents to places such as Australia and New Zealand; a couple of days later and any Customs issues could mean gifts fail to arrive in time for Christmas in a number of key destinations. And the election will also discourage shoppers ordering items for home delivery on this key day, as they queue to vote instead.”

Retailers already face unprecedented problems as Brexit has caused consumer confidence to plummet, he adds. Due to Brexit and general election concerns, it seems one in five shoppers plan to spend less this Christmas than in 2018, according to ParcelHero research.

“An election on what is effectively D-Day for courier deliveries won’t help one bit. The spirit of Christmas will have to blow very hard this December to restore consumer confidence and avoid a further crisis for retailers at their most important time of the year,” Jinks concludes.