Porch piracy has soared in the UK, with the total value of parcels stolen nearly doubling in the past year to £666.5m, according to analysis by Quadient.
The figures – based on Freedom of Information requests sent to all of the UK’s territorial police forces – reveal 4.83 million homes suffered at least one stolen parcel in the 12 months to June, representing a 31% rise from the same period last year.
The data comes as direct-to-consumer food & drink brands and hamper providers gear up for a Christmas surge in online sales, with Quadient warning that “December remains the peak month for opportunistic thieves”.
Quadient extrapolated its figures from 27 responding territorial police forces, 13 of which shared the value of the parcels stolen.
The technology firm estimates there were 13,690 doorstep delivery thefts in the latest period, up from 10,910 in the previous year period.
The average value of a stolen parcel has increased from £102 to £138, it estimates, “pushing UK consumer losses to unprecedented levels”.
Quadient added that despite the surge, it estimates just one in 353 thefts is reported to police, “suggesting that the true scale of theft is being dramatically under-reported”.
A separate survey by the company indicated a consumer preference for parcel delivery to collection points or lockers, with nearly two-thirds of Brits saying they’d feel more comfortable about their packages being left there than on the doorstep.
Just over two-thirds say they would prefer to miss a delivery entirely than risk having their parcel stolen. They also expressed concerns around how the crime is handled, with 79% believing authorities should take parcel theft more seriously.
Many supermarkets have been rolling out parcel lockers from providers including Amazon, InPost, Evri and Yeep, across their store estates.
In September, Aldi announced it was rolling out InPost lockers – which shoppers can use to collect and return online parcels – to more stores, with plans to have them outside 600 supermarkets by the end of this year.
In April, Sainsbury’s and Royal Mail launched a new “long-term partnership” that will see the postal group’s parcel lockers rolled out to Sainsbury’s stores.
“Parcel theft has risen dramatically in the past year, and with the busiest delivery season approaching, the message from consumers is clear: they don’t want packages left on their doorsteps anymore,” said Katia Bourgeais-Crémel, director of lockers automation Europe at Quadient.
“With many of these thefts taking place in broad daylight, the findings make a clear case for making secure parcel lockers the norm, not the exception. Retailers and carriers should review their practices and move away from defaulting to ‘safe place’ drops, prioritising secure collection points or lockers to protect customers and their reputations,” she added.
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