Severe Heatwave in Europe Boosted E-Commerce Order Volumes By 18% YoY in Q2
Harsh weather in June and Father’s Day celebrations in UK saw e-commerce volumes increase by +6 percent YOY in Q2.
(Photo: SBR)
LONDON, July 8, 2025 — The unprecedented heatwave that swept across Europe this summer, adversely affected normal life.
Record-breaking temperatures, often forced people to stay indoors.
Sweltering heat saw a boom in e-commerce order volumes, which had already logged a healthy growth with the beginning of year 2025.
Shopping trends reveal, that UK and European ecommerce order volumes increased by 18 percent in the second quarter, a study by Scurri says.
June Heat & Father’s Day
The record temperatures in June, led to a 25 percent spike in e-commerce sales in June.
Besides, gift purchasing on Father’s Day boosted online sales, according to data from Scurri Unpacked – Scurri’s quarterly review of ecommerce delivery trends based on over 200 million annual shipments processed through its delivery management platform.
Some of the highest day temperatures recorded in England was in St James's Park in London at 34.7C (94.4F), while parts of Essex and Kent also topped 33C.
The Meteorological Department has already confirmed June 2025, as one of the UK’s warmest on record.
The Met department also stated that most of Europe experienced significantly higher-than-average temperatures.
The rise in e-commerce order volumes was led by garden and outdoor products (+48 percent), homewares (+46 percent), toys and fashion (both +33 percent), and sports equipment (+31percent).
Category-wise Sales
Harsh weather in June and Father’s Day celebrations in UK saw e-commerce volumes increase by +6 percent YOY in Q2. This period is predicted to have exceeded £1.12 billion this year, according to GlobalData.
Shopping trends were influenced by Father’s Day, which is evident in the top performing UK categories during the quarter, which included food and drink, fashion, pet and animal and tools and DIY.
“May and June entered the record books as two of the hottest months seen across the UK and Europe. This, combined with Father’s Day trading, created ideal conditions for e-commerce growth. The uplift in outdoor, gifting and lifestyle categories shows how quickly consumer needs can shift and the importance of responding in real-time to capitalise on sales,” said Rory O’Connor, Founder and CEO of Scurri.
Besides UK’s steady growth in e-commerce volumes, international shipping volumes were also strong. Germany posted a +37 percent increase in volumes YOY in Q2, followed by Poland (+28 percent) and Ireland (+21 percent).
In contrast, volumes to the United States fell by -17 percent, reflecting the impact of 10 percent tariffs introduced on UK goods early in the quarter (5 April 2025).
The second quarter was dominated by e-commerce brands leveraging delivery options for customer satisfaction and brand trust.
Signature-on-delivery services saw a +21 percent increase quarter-on-quarter (QOQ), and a +28 percent increase YOY.
Concerned by growing concern around parcel fraud and theft, shoppers are increasingly demanding delivery assurance.
Shopping trends were influenced by Father’s Day gifting, which is evident in the top performing UK categories during the quarter.
Inputs from Saqib Malik
Editing by David Ryder
