An overview of pick up points in Europe

Pick up points are becoming increasingly popular in Europe. Locations where customers can pick up the packages they ordered online are ideal for consumers who want to choose where and whenever they want to have their goods. Here are the major pick up points in 7 popular ecommerce countries in Europe.

The overview is made by Paazl, a Dutch logistics company. As it says, “the lion’s share of online consumers prefer to receive their orders at home and if it’s possible, also for free.” The company continues: “But in practice, this is not always an option. Really precise time slots require more logistics costs and that’s something not every customer wants to pay. And more important, most online consumers aren’t at home during the day.”

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More than 10,000 pick up points in Europe
So as an alternative, most parcel companies are now offering pick up points to online consumers. These services are sometimes located at postal offices, but mostly at local convenience stores or grocery stores. There are more than ten thousand of such pick up points all across Europe, so consumers are almost always near a pick up location.

Pick up points are especially popular in France and the Netherlands. France is the country that’s also known for its many Click & Drives, while the Netherlands is a country where ecommerce has been embraced by all layers of society and picking up goods is just something that’s taken for granted by many online shoppers.

Online shoppers demand flexibility
Last month, a study by UPS revealed how European online shoppers demand flexibility. “European consumers expect a compelling online and in-store shopping experience, and the flexibility to choose when and how they receive their items. Online shoppers across markets are looking for alternative delivery options, especially in Europe where 32% said they would prefer their online order be delivered to locations other than their home, an increase from the previous edition of the survey.”