Cargus up 32% in November

Cargus, one of the largest courier companies in Romania and the region, recorded increasing weekly volumes of deliveries made in November, about 32% higher compared to October weekly averages. The evolution was mainly determined by the Black Friday campaigns carried out in the e-commerce segment. An important trend is that the discount period is no longer focused on a specific day or weekend, but extends over a period of several weeks, starting from the very beginning of the month.   Significant increases are also expected for December, characterized by consumers’ drive for shopping in anticipation of the holiday period.   “Like every year, Cargus managed the high delivery volume by organizing logistics hubs, training employees and relying on resilient couriers who worked hard to meet estimated delivery times. We are currently preparing for the winter holidays, which are expected to bring a significant increase in demand. We anticipate continued growth, driven by high demand and promotional campaigns, for which we are preparing and focusing, with the objective of providing quality services and deliveries within the estimated and assumed intervals”, said serban Stoica, Chief Sales Officer at Cargus.   The peak period in November was recorded in the week following the main Black Friday campaigns. The weekly average was 50% higher than the October average and the peak day brought in double the volume of a normal day.   Consumer preferences during this Black Friday season leaned heavily towards home electronics, particularly those catering to cooking, such as microwave ovens and air fryers. These trends underscore a growing consumer focus on healthier lifestyles. Coffee machines and TVs also ranked among the top-selling items.   As a first, unlike previous years, where packages under two kilograms were predominant, Black Friday 2024 brought an increasing number of medium and large packages. This added additional pressure to the sorting and delivery processes, which were successfully managed by the Cargus team.   In November, the number of Cargus couriers was increased by 20%, enabling them to travel over 4 million kilometres, across approximately 50.000 routes. We remind, in anticipation of rising Black Friday volumes, the company has increased the number of transport routes by 40%. The customers who received the parcels delivered by Cargus couriers are mainly from Bucharest, Cluj, Timisoara, Constanta and Brasov. Cargus will maintain the additional workforce throughout the entire peak season, including holiday season period.   A key factor in the results obtained by Cargus during this period was the possibility of paying parcels in advance or directly with the card to the couriers, an element that shows an increased popularity and degree of trust for the e-commerce platforms present on the Romanian market.   This year, to facilitate the parcel payment process, Cargus added the possibility of payments via Google Pay and Apple Pay, directly in the company’s mobile application, a service also adapted for cash on delivery parcel payments.   Cargus also offers the SHIP&GO delivery option, through which customers can direct parcels to one of over 2,000 collection points and lockers.