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.
GLS Germany has announced it will now offer faster parcel shipping via its PaketShops. The delivery time has been reduced to one or two business days for parcels that go to Austria or the Benelux region. Parcels to most other neighboring countries will take about 48 hours. Continue reading
Palletways Italia, which distributes palletized goods, has entered the ecommerce market in Italy. This is the result of a partnership with White Horse Energy, a UK company that has entered the Italian market with its online sales of dried firewood and pellets. Continue reading
Swiss Post has acquired the Swiss startup Notime, which provides bicycle courier services. The acquisition should help Swiss Post with gaining more ground in the fast-growing market of same-day deliveries and fast, flexible deliveries in urban areas. Continue reading
Members of the European Parliament have adopted a proposal to make the cross-border parcel delivery market in Europe more transparent and competitive. The European Union will implement new rules, which should lead to lower delivery costs for online consumers. Continue reading
Issues with stock levels are a major factor that affects the consumer’s decision to shop online. In the United Kingdom, more than half of consumers immediately turn to a competitor if the item they want is out of stock. Continue reading
K-Group, a major retail company from Finland, has started a pilot with automatic parcel terminals. The new service allows online buyers to have parcels from online stores from everywhere in the world to be shipped to a terminal at a K-Group store. Continue reading
Hermes Germany wants to expand the number of Hermes PaketShops in Germany from 15,000 to 20,000 during the next two years. The logistics company is betting on delivery to parcel shops and is aiming at a situation where a customer can reach the next collection point within five minutes. Continue reading
XPO Logistics, a major logistics company from the US, has expanded its last mile logistics service of heavy goods to Europe. The last mile delivery service from XPO Logistics will be available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and France. Continue reading
UK parcel carrier Yodel has launched a new service, called Xpect Returns. This is a collection service which helps consumers with getting their purchased items back to online retailers. Customers can now have their returns picked-up from their location within a two-hour collection window. Continue reading
Buying cheap products online from Chinese ecommerce websites is very popular in Sweden. Every day around 150,000 packages from websites like Alibaba and Wish arrive at Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Until now, customers didn’t have to pay taxes on these purchases, but that’s about to change. And, on top of that, PostNord will also charge a huge administration fee per package. Continue reading
On average, 1 in every 20 online orders is not delivered on the first attempt. This costs retailers a lot of money, but it also damages the retailer’s reputation. Existing customers go away and it’s hard to acquire new ones. But what’s the main reasons online orders don’t arrive on time? Continue reading
Customers in the UK increasingly expect it won’t cost them anything to return the goods they ordered online. But this could lead to over 200 smaller ecommerce companies failing, a new study by ParcelHero shows. Many smaller online retailers feel the pressure to pay for the cost of returns, as want to maintain high customer service ratings. Continue reading
Dutch online retailer Wehkamp will soon start building its second distribution center in Zwolle, the Netherlands. The new building will arise next to the current, fully automated distribution center. When the new center opens – probably at the end of this year – Wehkamp will have a distribution center that’s 60,000 square meters big. Continue reading
Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba will soon open a logistics center in France and increase the sale of French products on its online trading platforms. The company is currently looking for a site and for partners. Continue reading
Omniva, an Estonian postal company which operates in the entire Baltic region, has started with expanding its network of parcel lockers. This month, it started with doubling the size of its locker offering, by adding 63 new parcel lockers to the Baltic network and expanding 100 existing parcel lockers. Continue reading