fulfilmentcrowd ships 200,000 items on Black Friday

Euxton-based fulfilmentcrowd bucked national trends to increase the volume of goods shipped out on behalf of customers on Black Friday.

201,529 items were despatched on behalf of over 200 omnichannel clients from the company’s top-performing centres in the UK, US, Germany and the Netherlands during the period. Order intake peaked on Black Friday, representing a 39 per cent climb on last year, surpassing Cyber Monday's growth of 14 per cent.

The performance contrasts with wider downturns in the retail market with Black Friday website traffic down 12 per cent across the sector.

Export sales increased by 87 per cent compared with last year. US, Germany and France were the top three parcel destinations, accounting for 59 per cent of non-UK shipments.

fulfilmentcrowd’s data illustrates some sectoral trends with like-for-like sales growing strongly in the beauty & cosmetics (+68 per cent), health & supplements (+17 per cent) and homewares (+17 per cent) categories. This purchasing behaviour reinforces the so-called ‘lipstick effect’, with consumers indulging in small luxury purchases but holding back on bigger ticket items.

Reflecting a general pattern for 2023, order volumes for clothing, footwear & accessories were significantly down (-19 per cent) on the previous year.

fulfilmentcrowd recently announced a 17 per cent increase in revenue and 83 per cent growth in EBITDA in its mid-year financials. Its focus on capitalising on international markets has been particularly successful, with a 55 per cent uplift in export sales by the end of its last financial year (31st March 2023).

Lee Thompson, CEO of fulfilmentcrowd, said: "Black Friday is a crucial moment in the retail calendar and it is fantastic to see our clients achieving high sales performance over the period. Their success is our success, and this year's record numbers reinforce our position as leaders in the fulfilment industry.

“The results also stand testament to our adaptive strategy, tech and commitment to excellence. Set against a wider downturn, they demonstrate our flexibility and ability to quickly respond to the evolving demands of omnichannel retailing.”