UK online shipments climb as pet care leads growth
UK online retail shipment volumes rose 17% year on year in the fourth quarter of 2025, with growth led by pet care and beauty, while fashion and homewares recorded declines, according to data from Scurri Unpacked.
The delivery management firm said its platform processed 48.7 million parcels during the quarter, up from 41.4 million a year earlier. Scurri also reported a 17% rise in gross merchandise value to €5.21 billion from €4.44 billion.
Category-level performance diverged during the period, which includes the peak trading weeks around Black Friday and Christmas. Pet care recorded the strongest growth, with shipments up 35.2% year on year. Beauty and cosmetics grew 10.3%.
Fashion fell 9.1% and homewares dropped 24.6%, based on Scurri's shipment data. Food and drink rose 2.6%, while gifting declined 3.1% after what Scurri described as a strong fourth quarter in 2024.
Delivery choices
The data also pointed to differences in delivery preferences by category. Scurri said more than 92% of beauty and cosmetics shipments used express, next day, or tracked two-day services during the quarter.
Fashion showed a lower use of expedited services. Scurri put the share of fashion shipments using faster delivery at 56%.
Food and drink orders skewed towards next day and weekend delivery options, according to the company. Scurri linked this to product freshness and fulfilment timing.
Across all categories, Scurri reported increases in several premium delivery services during the quarter. Weekend delivery volumes rose 24.2% year on year and two-man delivery increased 24.9%.
Next day delivery volumes grew 11.6%, while standard delivery rose 6.0%. Signature on delivery fell 1.8%.
Quarter progression
Shipment volumes increased steadily through the quarter before easing in December. October volumes on the Scurri platform rose 18.2% year on year. November volumes increased 19.2% during the main promotional period. December growth moderated to 14.3%.
Scurri attributed the December pattern to delivery cut-off constraints and more cautious late-season spending.
Cross-border shifts
The company also reported a change in cross-border destinations. Several European markets posted strong growth in shipments during the quarter. Germany increased 34.7% year on year, Poland rose 27.5%, Belgium grew 29.8% and Denmark increased 23.4%.
By contrast, Scurri reported sharp declines in shipments to North America. Volumes to the United States fell 31.3% and shipments to Canada dropped 39.2%.
Scurri linked the North American declines to tariffs, customs complexity and rising costs.
"These figures show how quickly eCommerce responds to changes in both consumer behaviour and trade conditions," said Rory O'Connor, Founder and CEO, Scurri. "While demand across Europe remains strong, additional friction in markets such as the US and Canada is clearly influencing retailer fulfilment strategies during peak trading."
Market positioning
Scurri operates a delivery management platform used by online retailers. The company said its technology manages more than 100 million parcel deliveries annually and integrates with multiple carrier networks.
It listed customers including The Perfume Shop, Butternut Box, Gousto and Bulk Powders. It also named delivery partners including UPS, Royal Mail, An Post, HIVED, DHL, TNT, DPD, Yodel and Evri.
Scurri said it has raised €15.3 million, including a €9 million investment in 2021. The company has offices in London and operations in the UK and Ireland.
O'Connor said delivery performance remains closely tied to consumer expectations during peak trading.
"Golden Quarter performance consistently shows that delivery is a front-line experience shaping conversion, trust and repeat purchase," said O'Connor. "Retailers that offer the right mix of speed, flexibility and transparency during peak are best positioned to protect both margin and customer loyalty," added O'Connor.
The company said it will continue publishing quarterly shipping insights through Scurri Unpacked.