Australia Post has seen record parcel volumes over the 2016/17 period, with over 34 million deliveries in December representing a 21.5 per cent increase on the year before.

In December, traditionally its busiest month due to Christmas trade, Aus Post saw a 21.5 per cent increase compared with 2015, also receiving 5.6 million more parcels from overseas.

“We delivered a record number of parcels during the Christmas and New Year period, and continued to see strong volumes throughout January as Australians took advantage of extended Boxing Day sales,” said Ben Franzi, e-commerce GM, Australia Post.

“To help make this happen, we had more than 15,000 vehicles on the road, flew 5.3 million kilograms of parcels vial our domestic air network, and trialled extended hour deliveries in capital cities in an effort to catch more people when they were home.

“During our busiest day on December 19, we delivered more than 2.2 million parcels. We continued to see high parcel volumes through the summer holiday period, particularly as some online retailers extended their Boxing Day sales until late January.”

Over two million customers are now registered for MyPost Deliveries, with the company receiving over 300,000 requests for a “Safe-Drop”, where a customer asks for the parcel to be delivered to a safe spot at their house so they can receive a delivery when they are not at home.

There was also a 50 per cent increase in parcel locker usage and a 150 per cent spike in customers requesting a parcel redirection.

“Australians love a bargain and love entertaining during summer, and this has certainly been reflected in the online purchases we are seeing, with homewares and appliances among the most popular items,” said Franzi.

“We are also seeing more and more of our customers take up our range of delivery options.”

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