About this report
This report focuses on one of the fastest-growing areas of the parcels industry: those services designed to carry parcels on behalf of consumers and small businesses, such as eBay or Amazon Marketplace sellers. In it we quantify the market size, historical growth rates, segmentation patterns and levels of industry profitability while reviewing key factors behind these figures. We also carry out an in-depth analysis of the relevant drivers of industry growth. This includes trends in home shopping, the growth of eBay and its peers and the development, by existing players and new entrants, of new services targeted at this segment. Leading operators focusing on the C2X sector are profiled, their strategies and positioning are reviewed and their performance and prospects are analysed.
The report sets out historical trends in a data-rich document with over 30 charts and tables. It contains our forecast for C2X segment growth which is based on analysis of historical trends and our understanding of growth drivers.
What are the objectives of this report?
The UK parcels industry has continued to grow, however the traditional business-to-business (B2B) segment is increasingly mature. To find growth, carriers have had to look first to consumer deliveries (B2C) as home shopping became increasingly important, and now, as marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon continue to grow and increased home shopping leads to ever more returns, to parcels consigned by consumers and eBay sellers (C2X parcels).
The report is intended for parcels carriers and logistics groups, home-shopping retailers, operators of C2X parcels service providers, potential entrants to the segment, investors, banks, analysts, consultants and other parties with interests in the area.
See this post for more on the C2X parcels market
What are the sources and methodology?
This report is based on
– Interviews with senior-level contacts in the parcels market
– In-depth analysis of the macroeconomic environment and relevant parcels market drivers
– Financial analysis of the accounts of companies in the industry
– Our own experience of advising both companies and investors in the express parcels and home shopping industry
Information from these sources has been synthesised and presented clearly and concisely with extensive use of charts and tables to illuminate points and support conclusions.
Who has produced this report?
Frank Proud has led our work on this report. He has extensive experience as an analyst of, and consultant to, the parcels and logistics industries. His work has included providing consulting advice to leading carriers, such as UPS and FedEx, investors in networks including ANC, DX, Nightfreight, and Tuffnells and start-ups serving the consumer / small business parcels segment.