Black Friday shoppers are at risk of parcel delivery delays - because of a shortfall of more than 400 delivery drivers across Ireland.

The logistic challenges may leave shoppers disappointed as new data from the Delivery Delays Report by Esendex reveals a growing gap in the availability of delivery workers across Ireland.

This shortfall is threatening to cause delays in meeting seasonal delivery demands.

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Ongoing port congestion and limited capacity following the surge in cargo volume have left retailers facing severe delays and increased shipping costs, with more than 60 per cent of shipments failing to arrive on time.

The Delivery Delays Report shows Dublin has the highest shortfall of delivery drivers with 175 vacancies with Dundalk following closely with 12 vacancies. Drogheda had a lower vacancy rate of just 10 vacancies while Waterford has 24 and Limerick has 32.

While Cork had the highest number of vacancies at 53 after Dublin, its larger population size resulted in a lower vacancy rate - which may help offset some delivery strain this golden quarter.

Chris Gorman, Head of Commercial Transformation at Esendex, commented on the findings: "We have already seen a massive uptick in consumer spending during key retail events like Black Friday, and in the lead-up to the busy holiday season demand from online spending will no doubt surge.

"To meet heightened consumer expectations, companies should prioritise customer engagement and satisfaction strategies.

"Solutions such as SMS and WhatsApp for Business can help mitigate any potential delivery setbacks as fast and clear updates sent directly to customers can ensure a successful and seamless peak season experience."

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