Quadient research: Brits spending millions of Hours on parcel admin amid deliveries and returns boom
Quadient has released research showing that Brits are spending an estimated 370 million hours every month managing deliveries and returns.
A survey of 2,000 consumers found that parcel admin is becoming a recurring part of everyday life. The average consumer now spends 5.5 hours a month managing parcels, which is the equivalent of 66 hours a year per person. Across the UK population, that adds up to 4.44 billion hours a year.
The single biggest drain for Brits is waiting at home for a delivery, which accounts for 1.5 hours a month per person or 18 hours every year.
While parcels were once mainly associated with receiving goods bought online or an occasional present, they now play a much broader role in modern life. On average, Brits now receive six parcels a month and send seven. Of the parcels received, four come from general online shopping, while one comes from regular subscriptions and one is work related.
Sending behaviour is even more varied. On average, Brits send one work related parcel a month, one returned item, two items sold through resale platforms, one parcel to friends or family, and one item they are lending to someone else.
The findings also highlight how resale has become a mainstream part of the parcel economy. 77% of UK consumers have sold goods online:
30% do so occasionally when decluttering
16% sell items regularly but casually, equivalent to around 10.8 million people
6% (around 4 million people) describe it as a side hustle
2% (around 1.35 million) say it is a significant source of income
Katia Bourgeais-Crémel, Director of Lockers Automation Europe at Quadient says: “Parcels are no longer just something people receive from time to time. They now support work, returns, resale, subscriptions and everyday exchanges between people, meaning parcel management has become a constant part of modern life. But while parcel behaviour has changed, the systems supporting it have not kept up. The experience of managing deliveries and returns has become time-consuming and inconvenient, with consumers spending hours every month tracking deliveries, waiting in for parcels and managing returns.”
“As the parcel economy continues to evolve, the industry needs to rethink the delivery and returns experience, so it better reflects how people live today. The first step is making parcel management simpler, more flexible and far less time consuming.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Online delivery will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering
