UK independent parcel carrier, Yodel, has been delivering more Father’s Day gifts than ever before, as analysis of more than 15,000 deliveries suggests that the rise in online gifting seen over the last year is a trend that is here to stay.
Yodel uses its ‘Have Your Say’ tool to gather feedback from customers on their delivery experience as well as their reasons for shopping online to better understand wider ecommerce trends. The data shows that almost a fifth (18%) of those that completed the feedback form bought their dad a gift online over the last week, contrasting with less than 7% in 2020, when a similar number of responses were gathered. The most popular gifting category this year is personalised products, accounting for more than a third (34%) of presents, closely followed by food and drink (32%). Yodel specialises in ‘everyday premium’ products which include fresh food, drinks, flowers and pet food.
Mike Hancox, CEO at Yodel, commented: “Father’s Day is obviously a sentimental time of the year for many of our customers and we pride ourselves on playing a key role in getting gifts to dads up and down the country. Although lockdown restrictions have eased, there are still people who won’t get to see their fathers on the big day, and others who prefer to purchase online even when gifting in person. The whole Yodel family steps up for key dates such as Father’s Day to ensure that our specialist items like beer and whisky reach their destination safely and on time.”
Rob Brown, co-founder and COO at Beer52, commented: "The weeks leading up to Father’s Day are one of our busiest periods of the year for Beer52 and have been for a number of years. Never more so than in 2020, with a similar trend continuing again this year. “Having orders delivered on time is absolutely critical for us. We don't want anyone to be left with that dreaded feeling of embarrassment showing up empty handed. That's why we've partnered with Yodel, to help us deliver on our promise. With over 99% of orders delivered safely during the first attempt, we're able to focus on planning for the next special event knowing our customers' gift orders have been taken care of."
Daughters (21%) are almost twice as likely to purchase a gift online for their dads than sons (12%), while unsurprisingly under 18s are the most likely to use ecommerce for buying presents, with more than half (58%) planning on shopping online for their dad.
Yodel’s award-winning Have Your Say survey is run in partnership with Maru/Matchbox.