Barclays report highlights boom in companies selling D2C

Manufacturers selling direct-to-consumer (D2C) through the coronavirus pandemic will provide a £24 billion boost to the UK industry’s coffers by 2023, according to research from Barclays Corporate Banking.

And there could be as many as 118,000 new job roles supported by D2C sales across the next three years, rising from 500,000 in 2020 to 618,000 in 2023.

A surge in shoppers going direct will mean sales through this channel total £120 billion in 2023, an increase from £96 billion this year.

The logistics sector is benefiting from the move to D2C. Barclays estimates that around 85 million parcels and packages will be delivered to UK households this year thanks to sales from this space, and that this will rise by around 30% to 110 million in 2023. 

Lee Collinson, Head of Manufacturing, Transport and Logistics at Barclays Corporate Banking, says: “2020 has been a turbulent year for all industries, and the manufacturing sector is no different.”

“However, the increasing demand to procure goods direct from the companies that make them is providing growth opportunities and confidence for manufacturers of all sizes.”

“D2C sales will help manufacturing firms increase their earnings and protect and create jobs in the next three years: that’s a welcome shot in the arm not only for the industry, but also for the wider UK economy.”

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