National carrier Australia Post has hit a new record for parcel deliveries during the recent peak season as more Australians embrace online shopping.
Throughout the November and December holiday rush, Australia Post delivered almost 111 million parcels, up 7.6 per cent from the previous year.
The peak season started with an early surge in November as the cyber sales weekend drove record sales. This saw Australia Post record its busiest delivery day on record, with more than three million parcels delivered on December 8.
Throughout the two months, 7.9 million Australian households shopped online, up by about 300,000 households compared to last year.
The strongest year-on-year growth in the number of online purchases was seen in WA (up 15 per cent year-on-year), Queensland (up by 10 per cent), South Australia (up by nine per cent) and NSW (up by 8.3 per cent).
Australia Post executive general manager of parcel, post and eCommerce services Gary Starr says the carrier delivered 3,075 parcels every minute and two million deliveries a day for more than 30 days.
“These results are the product of months of detailed planning, continued investment in our operations and network capacity, and the extraordinary effort of our team members nationwide — working around the clock to keep parcels moving when it matters most,” Starr says.
“What stands out most this year is how much our customers have shaped the way we operate. Their need for greater reliability, easier ways to manage deliveries and a more seamless online‑to‑doorstep experience have shaped every enhancement we’ve made. We’ve listened closely, and those insights have helped deliver one of our strongest peak performances yet.
“As we turn our attention to the year ahead, we’re already preparing for the next peak period and identifying new ways to support our customers in a fast‑evolving eCommerce landscape. Retailers brought sales forward earlier than previous years, and shoppers responded in force — with cyber‑weekend sales rising 6.3 per cent year‑on‑year as Aussies increasingly seek out smarter, value‑driven ways to shop.”
Over this period 5.7 million Australians turned to the AusPost app to track their parcels with over 119 million app visits, meaning more customers were able to easily manage their delivery experience.