The growth in the number of small parcels to USA services could soon herald a change in worldwide shipping practices.

Worldwide shipping costs are expected to increase as the US economy improves, with Supply Chain Digest suggesting a number of ways that package delivery may be changed to reduce the wider impact on shippers.

The website recommends reducing shipping costs by "packing or repacking shipping cases more densely".

This will ensure that the actual weight, rather than the accurate dimensional weight (DIM), is used to calculate the final bill.
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According to the website, "this equates to more bang for your shipping buck", and consequently could also mean cheaper rates for sending a parcel to USA for small online retailers and similar businesses that have become a more dominant force in recent years.

Recent data released by the UK Office for National Statistics indicated that the weekly value of internet retail sales reached £446 million in June.

Although non-seasonally adjusted, this makes up approximately eight per cent of total retail sales, excluding automotive fuel.