Report: Holiday shipping and mailing activity grows

Port Washington, N.Y. -- In the week following Thanksgiving 2013 (Dec. 1 – Dec. 7, 2013), sales of mailing and shipping products were up 13% to $13.3 million, compared the previous year (Nov. 25 – Dec. 1, 2012). In addition, new analysis from The NPD Group indicates that within shipping and mailing categories, wrapping sales were up 52%, mailer sales rose 17% and packing tape sales grew 14%.



By channel, mailing and shipping product sales rose 14% in the brick-and-mortar channel compared to the same period a year earlier and 3% online.



“The abbreviated period between Thanksgiving and Christmas kicked the holiday mailing and shipping season into gear quickly,” said Lora Morsovillo, president of the office supplies division at The NPD Group. “The week after Thanksgiving was the largest online sales week for mailing and shipping products in 2012, but with just three weeks to get gifts in the mail following the 2013 Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, in store purchases were an even more popular option than usual this year. Consumers didn’t have as much time to wait for their shipping materials to ship.”