As the holiday season marches on, economists, retailers, and delivery companies are closely monitoring consumer behavior for signals of how Americans are spending. DHL eCommerce has a front-row seat to these evolving trends as a leading domestic and international parcel delivery provider for medium and large-scale retailers.
Scott Ashbaugh, CEO of DHL eCommerce Americas, shared insights into what’s different this year. “This year something is happening a bit differently,” Ashbaugh noted. “Traditionally, the weekend before Cyber Monday is relatively quiet, but this year, Saturday and Sunday saw exceptionally strong shipping volumes.”
One standout observation: Black Friday is reclaiming its prominence online. Ashbaugh pointed out that many e-commerce platforms branded their promotions as “Black Friday” deals, a term typically reserved for in-person bargains, signaling a shift in consumer expectations and retailer strategy. “It does seem like there’s an online push back to capture the time-sensitive Black Friday deals,” he said, adding that DHL eCommerce’s network reflected this surge in activity.
Another trend logistics professionals should note: heavier parcels. Average package weights are up, suggesting consumers are buying more per transaction or retailers are successfully bundling products during checkout. This impacts network planning, capacity allocation, and last-mile efficiency—key considerations for delivery providers.
Additionally, consumers are shopping earlier than in previous years. Ashbaugh attributes this to growing consumer experience and a preference for avoiding in-store crowds. “Perhaps they just didn’t go out to the stores and started online,” he said, noting that this early start helps reduce peak-season bottlenecks.
His advice for mitigating delivery risk is clear: don’t wait until the last minute. Late-season shopping combined with winter storms can disrupt major hubs and strain capacity. “Get the shopping done early, especially when there’s not a lot of inclement weather out there causing disruptions,” Ashbaugh advised.
For logistics professionals, these trends underscore the importance of flexible capacity planning, proactive communication with retail partners, and leveraging data to anticipate demand spikes. The season is starting earlier, packages are getting heavier, and consumer behavior continues to shift toward digital-first shopping – requiring agile strategies across the supply chain.
To learn more about DHL eCommerce’s domestic and international products and services, visit: https://www.dhl.com/us-en/home/ecommerce.html
