Americans love shopping, and as a result, 59 million parcels were generated each day in 2021, according to research from Pitney Bowes.
The global shipping and mailing company on Monday released its Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index, finding that U.S. parcel volume grew 6% in 2021 over 2020, reaching 21.5 billion parcels shipped. That works out to 683 parcels per second.
“The Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index has become an authoritative barometer for growth across the shipping and logistics industry over the past seven years,” said Jason Dies, EVP and president of Sending Technology Solutions for Pitney Bowes. “2021 saw the industry rocked by outside influences as carriers continued to manage the impact of the pandemic. Despite these challenges, carrier revenues and parcel volumes reached a record high, showcasing the resiliency of the U.S. consumer and the industry’s ability to absorb their growing appetite for internet retail.”
Pitney Bowes is forecasting parcel volume growth of between 5% and 10% annually from 2022 through 2027. Total volumes could reach as much as 40 billion parcels annually by 2027.