Courier prices increase expected from March 1

Prices of courier services are set to increase by nearly 10% starting March 1. Two of the largest companies are also introducing new rules for the pricing of the lightest shipments. What does this mean for the end consumer, and will it affect the turnover in e-commerce?

From March 1, there will be a 10% price increase for domestic and international palletized shipments, which is necessary due to transport and logistics reasons. This was confirmed by one of the leading courier companies in an interview for BNT. However, they also noted that there will be no price hike for mass services affecting end consumers. The fee for cash on delivery services will also increase, but this change will only affect corporate clients. Another company is increasing prices for all types of shipments in Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania.

"This will lead to higher delivery costs for goods, and in practice, merchants will seek alternative options to reduce shipping prices, as in the end, the consumer pays the bill. The fourth type of delivery, which has been developing very quickly over the last year, is delivery to lockers, where we are already seeing strong competition, which will help optimize delivery prices," explained Janet Naydenova from the Bulgarian E-Commerce Association.

However, the Bulgarian E-Commerce Association expects significant growth in online shopping this year, despite the planned price hikes for courier services. Electronic sales have reached a record 2.34 billion euros. These figures refer only to sales made within Bulgaria, from registered local online stores. Konstantin, a customer, exclusively shops from such stores.

"I shop online two or three times a month, maybe spending between 100 to 200 BGN per purchase," Konstantin said.

The most ordered items online are clothes, shoes, and accessories, including handbags and jewelry. The second most popular category is hotel stays or tours, and the third is cosmetics and health and beauty products. Books come in tenth place. However, Kremena mainly orders books, and she prefers to pick them up from a courier office.

"I prefer picking them up from the office, as it doesn't suit me to have them delivered to my home, and it requires too much engagement. Also, the packages have a shorter pick-up deadline, which doesn't work for me," explained Kremena.

Additional data shows that 50% of online users in Bulgaria, aged 16 to 74, shop online.