Introducing 
Order Volume and Delivery Delay Trends as of March 2020
Apparel & Accessories
In the Apparel & Accessories category, we see a significant dip in the order volume during March, 2020 when compared to March, 2019. We see that overall order volume dropped nearly 60% during the month of March 2019. With consumers staying indoors, this reflects the pandemic having the most impact on this category when compared all retail verticals.
Consumer Electronics
The Consumer Electronics vertical continued to have a strong run with their sales. The order volumes during the month of March, 2020 did not see much of change when compared to March, 2019. With businesses and individuals taking to remote working and spending time at home, work and leisure gadgets remain necessary to get through the lockdown.
Food & Beverages
As an essential category, we observed the Food & Beverages segment take only a slight hit in their online order volumes during the month of March, 2020. With consumers switching to online purchasing for safer buying, this new normal will see a permanent positive impact on food retail.
Home & Toys
The Home & Toys segment saw a significant drop in their order volume during the month of March, 2020. With over 50% drop in sales, home improvement businesses along with the toys industry will continue to see their sales soften in the next few weeks.
Auto Parts & Tools
The Auto Parts & Tools segment saw about 15% drop in their order volume during the month of March, 2020. When compared to the months of January, February and March in 2019, there has been a drop in sales during 2020.
Health & Fitness
In the Health & Fitness category we see their order volumes to have dropped by 25%. In the coming months, we could see a surge in demand for goods from this category as buyers opt to workout at home and follow healthier lifestyles.
Delivery Delay Trends across Major Shipping Carriers as of March 2020
The supply chain will remain a top concern for retailers during the COVID-19 crisis. All major shipping companies have warned about service disruptions due to the pandemic. The delivery delay rates we’re observing for eCommerce shippers using FedEx, UPS and DHL are as follows.
FEDEX
UPS
DHL
About the data
The “order volume” and “delivery delay” insights here are drawn from statistically relevant data processed from millions of parcels tracked by LateShipment.com for leading eCommerce retailers in the U.S. who ship via FedEx, UPS and DHL. Trends and insights drawn are on the basis of observations made on LateShipment.com’s real-time tracking solution – Delivery Experience Management Platform. For comparative analysis, parcel data from January – March 2019 is compared with parcel data recorded during January – March 2020.
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