The holiday season starts now for retailers says Midland Pallet Trucks
This year will see the traditional Christmas shopping season start earlier and finish later than ever before says materials handling firm, Midland Pallet Trucks – as it reveals orders are already ramping up with warehouses, retailers and distributors shaping up for a record end to the year, despite the much maligned high street’s struggles.
The West Midlands business is already noticing an uptick in orders – a surge which coincides with the latest holiday shopping predictions from Adobe, which published its hotly anticipated Adobe Digital Insights a few days ago. The Insights, which Adobe issues every year, predict that 2018 will be a record breaking year, with Cyber Monday at the end of November set to be the biggest online shopping day in history.
An estimated $124.1 billion will be spent online this festive season in the US alone says Adobe with a 14.8% year-on-year increase expected – a double digit growth in an already billion-dollar industry. This is also good news for the hard-hit high street, with the use of buy online and pick up in store options also expected to grow almost 120%, showcasing the importance of joined up resources when it comes to supply chain and distribution across the country.
Adobe also expects around $7.8 billion to be spent online on Cyber Monday, which will set a new world record following last year’s record breaker.
“The figures show that shoppers fully embrace the holiday season and know that there are lots of bargains to be had online from November onwards but that’s not the full story,” says Phil Chesworth, MD of Midland Pallet Trucks. “Google’s data shows that shoppers are already looking for gift inspiration as October starts to draw to a close, and lots of last minute gift purchases mean there’s a spike up to around the 23rd of December – which is great news for bricks and mortar retailers as the last post deadline has passed.
“Google seems to agree with Adobe too, with it advising retailers recently to start earlier and stay longer than they may think this holiday season to capitalise on changing consumer purchase habits and this is advice we echo. We have been busy supplying clients with essentials like hand pallet trucks, weighing scale trucks and manual stacker trucks – essential equipment which streamlines the packing and picking process and keeps the seasonal shopping machine ticking over.”
For more retail and logistics insights, as well as more information on the range of materials handling equipment available from Midland Pallet Trucks, visit: www.midlandpallettrucks.com