Iran war finally caught up with e-commerce in April, as the value of online sales tumbled 2.3%.

Retail sales weren’t impacted by the conflict in Iran in March, but suffered a 1.3% fall in sales volumes in April. E-commerce was particularly badly hit by last month’s fall in consumer confidence.

The impact of the Iran war has finally caught up with retail sales, says the home delivery expert Parcelhero. The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) retail sales bulletin reveals sales volumes fell by 1.3% in April against March.

Parcelhero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T., says: ‘The Iran conflict didn’t seem to make a dent on retail sales back in March, when sales volumes rose by 0.6% and the value of online sales climbed 2.4%. However, it hit home in April. The ONS says lower demand, variable weather and motorists conserving fuel all had an impact.

‘E-commerce had a particularly lacklustre April. Non-store retailers (the ONS category which is predominantly online sellers) reported their sales volumes – the amount we all bought – were down by 2% against the previous month. Similarly, the amount we all spent online also fell by 2.3% against March.

‘However, month-on-month comparisons are notoriously volatile. The ONS prefers to look at the three-month pattern. These figures offered better news and revealed some silver linings among April’s clouds. The quantity of goods bought (volume) is estimated to have risen by 0.5% in the three months to April 2026, compared with the three months to January 2026. E-commerce performed well over this three-month period. The amount spent online rose by 2.2% when comparing the three months to April 2026 with the three months to January 2026.

‘More silver linings were that online sales values rose by 6.6% year-on-year (YOY), comparing April 2026 with April 2025. Looking at that key three-month indicator, the news was even more positive, with online sales values rising by 9.3% YOY when comparing the same three-month period to 2025.

‘As we move towards the summer, forecasting how retail will perform in the coming months is a tough call. To a certain extent, it all depends on international events and their impacts on the wider UK economy. This month there have been mixed signals, with the rate of inflation surprisingly falling to 2.8% and the Government cutting VAT on some summer attractions in response to a reported decline in consumer confidence. May’s retail sales results will be eagerly anticipated.

‘Ultimately, however fickle or strong key retail periods of the year prove to be, it’s those stores with a combined High Street and online offering that are most protected against unexpected events. Parcelhero’s report “2030: The High Street Fights Back?” has just been launched as the sequel to its 2016 publication “2030: The Death of the High Street”. The update examines the impact of e-commerce and events such as the pandemic on town centres. It concludes that the High Street may not have reached a dead end by 2030 but, in this new age of retail, it will have arrived at its biggest crossroads. You can read the full new report at https://newsroom.parcelhero.com/the-high-street-fights-back-final.pdf