Retail
indicates the European ecommerce market generated US$824,356m in revenue in 2025 and achieved a growth rate of 10- 15% compared to the previous year. Projections for 2026 show the e-commerce market trending toward a 5-10% change. In the UK, the Office for National Statistics’ April retail sales
report points out that retail sales rose in the three months to April 2026. The online retail portion within this report also increased over the three months to April 2026. However, it also suggests that sales across other channels decreased (e.g., department stores). What is also interesting about the UK is that the report says, “The amount spent online, known as ‘online spending values’, rose by 2.2% when comparing the three months to April 2026 with the three months to January 2026. It rose by 9.3% when comparing the same period with the three months to April 2025.” This suggests that even though consumers may have a poor last-mile delivery experience, they may shift their spending to competing brands and still spend. Opportunity exists.
Out-of-home delivery is queen While home delivery has given ecommerce brands an edge for many years, out-of-home (OOH) delivery is increasingly relied upon by consumers. This includes the use of service points, parcel lockers, and click-and-collect options, offering consumers the flexibility to receive goods when they’re not at home. Sendcloud’s E-commerce Delivery Compass 2025 says that 58% of European shoppers choose these OOH delivery options as their preferred delivery method, and that it is the second most selected option after home delivery. From a UK standpoint, the Royal Mail suggests the UK is falling
behind Europe for OOH delivery. Its research points out that 86% of consumers are frustrated at missing a delivery when they aren’t home to receive it; that 88% of people have experienced this; and that although home delivery is preferred by most UK consumers (76%), 62% of UK shoppers have chosen to have parcels delivered to lockers and/or convenience shops.
Customer communication at all stages is key This raises a question for ecommerce brands about how they communicate with customers during home and OOH delivery moments. Online and offline are blending. The growth of messaging and apps is driving near-real-time updates for many retail brands in an effort to communicate delivery status and offer an Amazon-like experience. But what happens when the consumer is not home to receive the delivery or has to visit an OOH delivery site? This is where the use of delivery cards and locker receipts
becomes crucial as part of that important customer communication piece during last-mile delivery. Sure, many delivery teams are equipped with mobile devices that provide instructions about which delivery to tackle next. But when they arrive at the doorstep and no one is home, are they equipped to leave a legible delivery note with all the key details the customer needs to arrange a new delivery date? Or, to offer the option of using an OOH delivery method instead? In the case of home delivery, ergonomic, lightweight, and robust printers help. They print the key information on cards that
www.pcr-online.biz
“From a UK standpoint, the Royal Mail suggests the UK is falling behind Europe for OOH delivery.”
can be posted through letterboxes. Printers are valuable here because they help save time and increase accuracy. Enabling a delivery person with a printing tool to hit a button that prints key information quickly saves time. It also deals with the problem of poor handwriting or “using” pens that don’t work. But the point here is about accuracy and clarity. Customers increasingly want clarity. This is what printers provide. When it comes to OOH deliveries and the use of collection
points or parcel lockers, are these locations equipped with reliable printing technologies? Kiosk printers embedded into these lockers and locations must be autonomous. Printed paper needs to last a long time; reliability and longevity are crucial. Standard click-and-collect collection points require receipt printers similar to those used at checkout stations. Similarly, are they reliable, and can they handle high print volumes without causing queues to halt? Are paper rolls easily interchangeable here (and in kiosks)? At the last mile, printing forms a vital component of the delivery strategy. It offers many brands the opportunity to close the loop on customer service and to cement loyalty into the hearts and minds of shoppers. Brands neglect this at their peril. Today, according to Salesforce, 95% of ecommerce
professionals say that customer service drives revenue, and that 74% of customers expect online capabilities to match in-person and phone service. On that basis alone, if the final piece of the ecommerce delivery jigsaw lets a brand down due to an illegible handwritten customer delivery note, or a kiosk printer at an OOH delivery pickup point fails to print a receipt, it stands to reason that future revenue from customers could be lost. Or that customers might choose to shop elsewhere. Alongside this, retailers and e-commerce brands continue to
operate amid uncertainty. Many factors, such as the impact of the ‘Strait of Hormuz’, are outside of their control. However, what they can do is control – as best they can – how they communicate with their customers at all stages of delivery. Irrespective of whether parcels are delivered to homes or OOH locations, customers expect transparent, clear, and professional communication. With all the technology available to retailers and ecommerce
brands, and all the hard work that has likely gone into securing a sale, there is really no reason at all to accidentally disrupt the customer experience and create friction at the final parcel- delivery moment. Failure at this last point jeopardises ongoing longevity and brand loyalty, impacting future purchases
September/October 2026 | 7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
