Logistics

At more than a fifth of the largest German online retailers, phone numbers for customer service are either not available or difficult to find. Shoppers with a phone number often only have support during business hours.

Zalando launched ZEOS: a brand-new service designed to provide fulfillment solutions to fashion and lifestyle retailers. Zalando is now extending its logistic services to both affiliated and non-affiliated sellers.

Ochama, a retail concept from the Chinese ecommerce giant JD.com, has announced the expansion of its home delivery services to an additional 19 European countries, bringing the total to 24 countries on the continent.

Parcel delivery service Instabox is discontinuing its services in Germany. According to the company, its volumes in the market are not high enough to sustain its operations. Just a year ago, the company already went bankrupt in the Netherlands.

During the year-end holiday season, Belgian postal company Bpost will charge online sellers an extra euro to send packages. The company claims that this is to compensate additional costs during this busy period. It runs from Black Friday, this year on November 24th, until Christmas Day.

NextSmartShip, a thriving Chinese fulfillment company, has taken a significant step into the European market by establishing a key office in the Netherlands. This marks the company's inaugural presence in Europe, embodying the initial phase of their ambitious global strategy, with a planned expansion into the United States on the horizon.

Dutch sustainable parcel deliverer Homerr has been acquired by Vinted Go, the shipping arm of Vinted. The amount involved in the acquisition was not disclosed. For now, Homerr will continue to operate under its own trade name.

Fnac Darty and CEVA Logistics are establishing a joint venture, called Weavenn. The new venture will offer SaaS marketplace technology solutions, as well as logistics. It is set to be operational as of 2024.

Last week, DHL eCommerce inaugurated its 100,000^th access point in Europe. Its parcel network now consists of 80,000 service points and 20,000 parcel lockers. This makes it the largest and densest parcel network on the continent.

Clevon, a startup from Estonia, claims a European first in the field of autonomous delivery. Several driverless carriers from the company are navigating public roads, delivering groceries in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.

European ecommerce fulfillment company Huboo has grown more than 130 percent in the last year. According to the company, it raked in over 23.4 million euros (20 million British pounds) in new business.

Lufthansa Cargo has the ambition to establish a ‘European same-day and ecommerce network’, centered around Frankfurt. Frankfurt Airport is set to become one of the world's most significant ecommerce hubs.

Starting on September 18^th, ecommerce giant Amazon will charge Prime members for same-day delivery in the United Kingdom. The fee will apply to orders under 20 British pounds (23.5 euros). Other delivery options will remain free for Prime members.

Amazon is making a fresh start with Amazon Shipping, the shipping service that online retailers can also utilize for orders beyond the platform. The service has been reintroduced in the United Kingdom and is now also accessible to online retailers in France, Italy, and Spain.

As of yesterday, Dutch fulfillment company Active Ants has been fully acquired by Belgian postal company Bpost. The acquisition was already announced in 2018, but at that time management remained in the hands of Active Ants. Now, the company has sold its remaining stake to Bpost.