The traditional shopping boom in the fourth quarter has increasingly become a strain on fleets as online shopping grows. In a recent analysis, Geotab examined how the driving behavior of delivery fleets in several European countries changed in the period around Black Friday and the Christmas holidays. The underlying data analysis is based on anonymized information from over 5.7 million connected vehicles.
More trips, shorter distances, higher consumption
In Germany, the number of trips per vehicle in the week before Christmas rose by 18 percent compared with the initial measurement at the beginning of November. Already in the Black Friday week, the increase was 17 percent. After the holidays, activity fell sharply: In the week starting December 30, travel volume declined to up to 78 percent below normal levels.
The average distance per trip declined noticeably during the peak period. Its low point was reached in the pre-Christmas week, with a 17 percent drop compared
with the reference value. At the same time, fuel consumption rose. In Germany, it was seven percent above the average in the Black Friday week — one percentage point more than in the European comparison.
Similar trends also emerged across Europe. The number of trips climbed 16 percent in the Black Friday week and reached a plus of 17 percent in the week before Christmas. Afterwards, it fell by 50 percent. The trip distances initially decreased by ten percent and rose from December 24 onward by seven percent above the starting level.
Higher costs due to idling times and fossil fuel consumption
In addition to the increased utilization, idling also weighed on operating costs. Throughout the entire analysis period, idling times remained above the normal value. In the week from December 2, they reached a peak of plus 16 percent.
According to the provider's calculations, an average vehicle in Europe consumed around 52 liters of
fuel during the Black Friday week — four liters more than in the comparison period. This corresponds to additional costs of about seven euros per vehicle. Extrapolated to the entire fleet, this results in an extra consumption of 160,000 liters, which amounts to around 29,000 euros.
Electromobility with a catching-up need
Despite rising environmental awareness, the share of electrically travelled trips remained low. In the investigated countries, in 2024 only twelve percent of trips were performed by battery-electric vehicles. This shows that the switch to alternative drives in commercial delivery traffic is still in its infancy.
Digitalization as a lever for efficiency
“The Advent season in retail has become a challenge for logisticians and fleet operators due to the immense growth of online shopping in recent years. To ensure that the Advent season doesn't become too stressful for drivers and fleet managers, companies should consider a few points. Reliable route planning and smart demand forecasting
are more important than ever in this period. Additionally, fleet managers should always keep their vehicles optimally utilized to keep fuel costs and CO2 emissions in check. For all three of these aspects, solid data foundations are indispensable,” says Edward Kulperger, Senior Vice President EMEA of Geotab
What does this mean?
The numbers clearly show: The Christmas business brings not only gifts but also more traffic, higher costs and additional CO2 emissions. For fleet managers, this means: Without digital planning and targeted efficiency measures, these challenges are hardly manageable. The switch to low-emission drives is not only ecologically sensible but also economically viable in the medium term. However, at present the share of electric trips remains low – a hint that investment hurdles and infrastructural bottlenecks still exist. Those who take the transformation seriously should address the topic strategically now – no later than the next peak period in the year-end business. (av, Source: Geotab)
