Purolator expects rise in package volume to persist
CEO anticipates seasonal bump ‘to be a uniquely steady pace even into the new year’
MONTREAL— Courier services are grappling with how to deliver a recordsetting number of packages as the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic forces more people to do their holiday shopping online.
But unlike in every other year, when the surge eased in the weeks after Christmas, this year’s increase in package volume might not slow down until well into 2021, John Ferguson, the CEO of Purolator, said in an interview.
“We’re thinking this is going to be a uniquely steady pace even into the new year,” Ferguson said.
Purolator expects to deliver a record 46 million packages through its peak season this year, which runs through most of November and part of
December, Ferguson said.
Package volume this holiday season is 10 per cent higher than the courier anticipated, even with an optimistic forecast, Ferguson said. Total deliveries are up 50 per cent this year compared with last year, while e-commerce deliveries are up between 80 and 100 per cent.
Purolator’s experience has been shared by Canada’s other couriers.
UPS said it was anticipating a record season, though it wouldn’t specify how many packages it expected to ship. And Intelcom, a shipping company with offices across Canada, said it has seen a slow buildup in volume toward the end of 2020. Both UPS and Purolator have added thousands of new employees since the start of the pandemic.
Purolator has also experimented with new ways of expediting the shipping process, including self-serve parcel lockers, low-speed electric vehicles in downtown areas and partnerships with retailers like Michaels.
Ferguson said Purolator is not having issues with delivery times, but that the company encourages people to ship their packages early and is implementing a cut-off date of Dec. 22 for packages that are guaranteed to arrive before Christmas.