No ecommerce without logistics. Because whenever a consumer orders something online, that product has to be shipped from one place (a warehouse or fulfilment centre) to another (the consumer’s house, a pick-up point, et cetera). So logistics play a very important role in the whole ecommerce process. In order to achieve success in the online retail industry, one has to have a very solid logistics plan in place.
Logistics provider Hermes has opened an automated parcel distribution hub in the United Kingdom, which is said to be the biggest one in the country. The hub measures 2,500 square meters and has the capability to process over one million parcels per day. Continue reading
In the near future, business customers and consumers from Swiss Post can benefit from a new service, which will roll out nationwide. Swiss Post will offer the ability to deliver parcels within four different time slots. Continue reading
Picnic, the online-only supermarket from the Netherlands that raised 100 million euros in March this year, has started to build a big distribution center in the center of the country. In about seven months, a new distribution center that covers 35,000 square meters should arise and enable deliveries to the megalopolis of the Randstad. Continue reading
PostNL saw 36 percent of its revenue come from ecommerce during the first half of this year. That’s an increase of 12.5 percent compared to the same period last year, when ecommerce accounted for 32 percent of the Dutch postal company’s revenue. It predicts ecommerce will take over 45 percent of its total revenue by 2020. Continue reading
The majority of online shoppers in the United Kingdom prefer fast to free delivery, while retailers think these delivery options are equally valued by consumers. Retailers think 43 percent of shoppers want free delivery and 57 percent prefer fast delivery, but in reality it’s 86 percent of UK shoppers who prefer free shipping. Continue reading
Almost nine in ten Brits have sent or received a parcel in the last six months. That’s no surprise, as the courier and express delivery market showed a €1.1 billion increase in sales last year. The Brits now spend as much as 11.4 billion euros on these services. Continue reading
Parcel companies could improve the efficiency of their delivery by 30 percent if they use What3words, the UK startup claims. With What3words, you don’t refer to addresses the usual way (“Main Street 1”), but by pinpointing exact delivery locations using a unique combination of three different words. Continue reading
During the Deliver #2 event last week, the online platform Deliver in Europe has been officially launched. This platform on cross-border parcel delivery services is a new EU-funded initiative that will help small online retailers by informing them about the range of parcel delivery service providers they could use to ship cross border. Continue reading
Tesco, the biggest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, has launched its own one-hour delivery service, called Tesco Now. This app-based delivery service is meant to compete directly with Amazon, which delivers products within one hour using its Amazon Prime Now service. Continue reading
Zalando has successfully launched Zalando Fulfillment Solutions, which gives fashion brands access to the company’s logistics infrastructure and know-how. Zalando can take over the order fulfillment for partners, from inbound to return. Continue reading