Sending parcels, ordering gifts: For many people, this is part of the Christmas season. Despite the price increases, Swiss Post expects millions of items to be sent again this year.
Despite the looming recession, Deutsche Post DHL is looking to the upcoming Christmas business with some optimism. On individual peak days before Christmas Eve, up to 11 million shipments are expected, the group announced in Bonn. This is the same maximum value as at the end of 2021.
If the forecast is correct, Swiss Post would do well. Competitor DPD expects its business to have a lower daily high than 2021 and justifies this with the high inflation and economic weaknesses, which means that fewer packages are sent.
The Christmas business is the most important time for the parcel industry. Depending on the definition, this means the fourth quarter of the year or the last two months of the year. During this time, people buy a lot online, and discount campaigns such as Black Friday also boost consumption. Corona restrictions were a growth driver during the Christmas season in 2020 and 2021, this year this will no longer be the case.
slump in business this year
After the end of the special Corona boom in the parcel industry, Post has had a difficult time in its German parcel business this year. In the first quarter, sales fell by 18.6 percent compared to the same quarter in the previous year, and in the second quarter the minus was 14 .2 percent. In the third quarter, the minus is said to have been lower.
Management has not yet published a forecast for the total package volume in the fourth quarter or for the whole of 2022. However, the estimate of the constant Christmas peak value is an indication that Swiss Post is quite optimistic about the end of the year.
In addition, the post said that the package volume level in November and December will be 70 percent higher than in September. The logisticians can estimate the number of shipments quite precisely in advance because they have concluded contracts with dealers for shipment volumes in advance.
10,000 temporary workers for the extra crowd
As in previous years, Swiss Post intends to hire more than 10,000 temporary workers to cope with the extra Christmas crowds. Thomas Schneider, head of operations at Post & Paket Deutschland, pointed out the currently very tense labor market situation in the economy. In addition, the number of corona infections in the post offices has increased, and there are major challenges.
According to the “Yellow Giant”, a high level of sick leave was also the reason that there were delays in shipments in the summer. However, this was mainly about letters – the Federal Network Agency had received many complaints from consumers who had waited in vain for letters or had only received them very late.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
