Coronavirus: Record delivery rush is swamping Australia Post

Data from Australia Post reveal five years of package volume growth in three months as online shoppers stay home and shop.

Victoria has been a hotspot for online shopping, as the locked-down state sought to meet its every need through the post.

In COVID-hit Victoria, online sales have increased 170 per cent, year on year, according to Australia Post, in what executive general manager (community and consumer) Nicole Sheffield said had been like five years growth in three months.

Even in states where lockdowns were lifted months ago, online shopping has exploded, with an 85 per cent increase across the country.

The huge increase means ­August was the biggest month ever in online deliveries, with AusPost activity up 8.9 per cent on Christmas last year.

The company’s Fulfillio service, which offers warehousing and delivery for businesses, has recorded 400 per cent growth year on year, and 150 per cent growth in the past six months.

The pandemic has brought a year of records for AusPost, after it first broke the 2019 Christmas shopping record in April during the first wave of lockdowns, before smashing it again in August.

AusPost data shows that the top five online shopping postcodes in Australia in August were all in Victoria. Last year, the state held only four of the top 10 spots.

Point Cook, in Melbourne’s west, has the new title as Australia’s No 1 online shopping area.

The volumes have been so big that delivery backlogs have blown out by days, and staff members have even been asked to drive and deliver packages in their ­personal vehicles.

“It had a massive impact; we saw more than 200,000 parcels delivered in that time by those people,” Ms Sheffield said.

“But the reality is the volume is coming in stronger than ever before. As we deliver to get rid of the backlog, the new volume is coming in.

“Because we had planned for strong volume growth across the network … we were able to leverage that across the country,” Ms Sheffield said.

Express Post, which pre-­pandemic offered a one or two-day turnaround, is now taking as many as five days to deliver.

Ms Sheffield said the variety of stock coming through the postal network was huge and only limited by the 25kg limit.

“There’s been a lot of exercise equipment; I can’t believe how many people ordered weights or exercise bikes,” she said.

Ms Sheffield said Australia Post was now planning how to handle the Christmas period after the harsh lessons learnt during the COVID-19 crush.

“A very strong message from us to everyone is start planning Christmas early,” she said.