Logistics

DPD has announced the introduction of its DPD Web Parcel, which is meant for occasional shippers who want to manage their affairs online. With the mobile QR code printing out labels is no longer necessary. DPD Web Parcel was announced last year but is now finally available for customers who ship with this international parcel delivery company.

Dutch mail, parcel and ecommerce company PostNL has announced it has been experimenting with a delivery box since May this year. The plastic boxes make it possible for consumers to have their packages delivered to their home while they are away.

Unmanned aerial vehicles, drones in short, could be the answer to deliver packages cheaper and faster and could give ecommerce the next boost in growth. However due to rules and legal issues ecommerce delivery companies and online retailers still are on hold on really exploiting this opportunity. That doesn't mean that they aren't testing the potential that drones have. DPD for example recently launched special drone terminals in France.

Sports Direct announced its online sales hit 551 million euros last year, which is an increase of 14.4% compared to a year before. According to the UK sports retailer, the growth was driven largely by the launch of its click and collect service in the second half of the year. It already accounts for more than 20% of all UK online orders.

There's still trouble in the Dutch parcel industry. Independent mail carriers who work on behalf of PostNL don't like how the postal company treats them. PostNL now has offered them a chance to work for them as an employee, but not everyone is happy with this. Some couriers have gone on a strike, which causes 20% of all packages not to arrive at customer's homes in time.

For online shoppers in the UK, value for money is still a big issue. Unexpected delivery charges have a big impact on purchasing decisions and one in four shoppers are likely to wait for a special sales event before placing an order. This is apparent from the 2015 Delivery Matters report by Royal Mail.

The parcel market in Germany saw its shipment volume increase by 5.1% last year. In terms of sales it now accounts for 53% of the total German courier, express and parcel industry, which is becoming increasingly important. The total turnover of the CEP industry increased by 3.6% to 16.6 billion euros in 2014, so the parcel market was worth 8.8 billion euros last year.

Three-quarters of British consumers believe they shouldn't have to pay for a click-and-collect service. If they order something online and then decide to pick it up in-store, consumers think it's more than acceptable to get that order without paying any additional fee. Meanwhile, UK retailer John Lewis revealed last week it would start charging shoppers on click-and-collect orders below £30 (€41.66).

Swiss Post is testing the commercial use of drones. Together with Swiss WorldCargo and Matternet, the postal company is investigating specific uses of drone technology and trying to find out what the cost-effectiveness is of these business ideas. For this purpose it will carry out some drone tests this month.

You might think that new and innovative delivery services are a thorn in the side of established delivery companies such as DHL. But managing director Morten Villberg says there’s plenty of room for Uber-inspired delivery services in the market and he welcomes new initiatives.

Amazon has launched its one-hour delivery service, called Amazon Prime Now, in London yesterday. This is six months after it introduced the delivery service, which is offered exclusively for its Amazon Prime members, in the United States.

Subco Partners, the association of independent mail carriers who work on behalf of PostNL, plans to start its own parcel company that can compete with PostNL. The most important reason for doing this, is the fact the mail carriers are unhappy with how the postal company treats them. They get treated as if they are freelancers, although the carriers mostly have PostNL as their only contractor.

Bol.com, the biggest online retailer in the Netherlands, has today introduced a same day delivery service for its customers. If they place an order before noon, customers can pick up their package at an Albert Heijn store nearby before 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

Tesco and Sainsbury's are no longer offering a click & collect service for their customers at Tube stations in London. The two major supermarket chains have withdrawn from the tie-up with Transport for London (TfL) because too few customers used the service.

Weengs is a British startup that just launched in London. This app will send a courier to pick up and professionally package any item consumers want delivering, after simply sending them a photo. The on-demand delivery service should simplify the process for online shoppers returning purchases.