The solution the home delivery market has been waiting for is now here, a one hour delivery window, which will make waiting in all day for your parcel to arrive a thing of the past.
The latest development in the evolution of home delivery services is being launched by DPD, a parcel carrier with a history of being ‘first to market’ in this important sector.
Every day thousands of people across the UK waste time at home waiting for a courier, or come home to find a “Sorry we missed you” card. Typically these online shoppers are busy people who value the ease of buying on the internet at any time of day or night but hate the inconvenience of waiting in for a delivery. It is for these reasons that DPD has invested £2m over the last two years developing and launching its breakthrough ‘one hour delivery window’.
The new service means that DPD can now send a text or email containing a one hour delivery window to the parcel receiver. If not convenient the receiver can change the delivery date by replying to the text or email, which can include the brand name of the shipper for ease of recognition. This major new breakthrough of a one hour delivery window will be welcomed by shippers and shoppers alike.
“The market has been calling out for this level of service for home delivery,” says DPD CEO Dwain McDonald. “The popularity of online shopping means it is essential to have home delivery services which match the convenience of the online shopping experience.”
DPD decided to invest in a one hour delivery window solution to give its customers a world-beating service. “DPD believes that offering this added value delivery service brings benefits not only to the parcel recipient, as they receive a better service, but also to the retailer as happy customers are more likely to re-order,” says McDonald.
One hour delivery window and other home delivery innovations
DPD was first to market with its advance SMS text notification of delivery. The company then went on to pioneer two-way texting, allowing the recipient to change the delivery date if required. That was all more than two years ago. The new major breakthrough for this market is the provision of a one hour delivery window, a service that no-one thought could be delivered.
DPD also offer an optional “deliver to neighbour” service.
This is another secure choice as the parcel is signed for by a neighbour and a card is put through the door of the intended receiver advising them theirparcel has been delivered and who signed for it.
Following on from these innovations, DPD is now the first carrier to invest in and launch a one hour delivery window. “With an estimated time of arrival within a one hour window and the ability to change delivery to a more convenient date, there is a far greater chance of delivering the parcel first time,” says McDonald. “What attracted us to make this investment was the opportunity to provide a far higher level of customer service than has previously been available.”
“On many occasions home delivery can take multiple attempts,” continues McDonald. “Our interactive SMS text or email notification and deliver to neighbour options have already increased “right-first-time” deliveries by 16%. With our one hour delivery window, this figure can only increase significantly.
This means far greater customer satisfaction. And there are environmental benefits. More ‘right first time’ deliveries mean fewer return journeys to reattempt delivery, so less vehicles on the road, reduced fuel consumption and lower carbon emissions.”
- For further information visit: www.dpd.co.uk
DPD has already won an e-commerce award for Innovation in Delivery for its home delivery services including the one hour delivery window.
Judges commented “Certain carriers had made significant advances in the services they are now offering and the carrier leading the market
has been DPD.”
Industry research
IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group, the industry body for e-retailing) reported that 62% of online shoppers had experienced a failed delivery due to there being nobody at home. IMRG’s Valuing Home Delivery Report 2010 states that the two primary causes of home delivery problems are communication failure or the lack of suitable delivery options. IMRG also reports that 38% of all shoppers are put off purchasing because delivery times are too vague, whilst 39% are worried that the goods may not arrive on time.
A welcome innovation in home delivery is the use of technology such as SMS messaging. As Snow Valley Research’s Online Retail Delivery Report 2010 concludes, SMS services that allow the shopper to confirm or rearrange delivery are the most cutting-edge, but very few retailers are doing this. Many seem to be sending out order status updates that do not really add anything of value to the customer experience. With almost everyone carrying a mobile phone these days, innovative SMS messaging is increasingly being integrated into e-retail services, especially for delivery reminders and advice.
Datamonitor’s ‘The Future of B2C Parcel Delivery’ report concurs regarding the use of SMS technology, stating that the development of SMS services is an opportunity for parcel carriers to reduce delivery failure and strengthen their ties with the retailer.
Overall, the major problem is that parcel delivery companies will not commit to a short delivery window, so recipients are waiting in for hours not knowing when their parcel will arrive. This is having a detrimental effect on the home delivery market and is putting customers off ordering online, so a radical solution - such as the “one hour delivery time slot” service from DPD - has been urgently required.
The Personal Touch comes to home delivery
Discerning retailers who want to offer their customers the highest level of personal service which they associate with their brand, can now do so thanks to a new delivery service offered by leading parcel carrier DPD.
“DPD invests in market-leading technology to ensure customers are kept informed of their delivery status and provided alternative delivery options”
Nick Robertson
CEO ASOS.com
Customers will receive a text or an email to advise them of their parcel’s one hour delivery time slot. This text or email can be branded with the name of the retailer, so the customer has the reassurance of continuing to deal with the brand they trust. The customer can respond to the text if they wish to change delivery to another date. Customers receiving an email delivery notification can use this to track their parcel or rearrange delivery, and all via a web page showing the retailer’s brand. So, the customer sees the brand they are familiar with. In this way, the ‘branded’ email or text brings commercial benefits to the retailer, as customers enjoy an unbeatable buying and delivery experience and so are more likely to re-order.
This is part of DPD’s investment in technology and its partnership approach to working with its customers who are among the top names in online retail. ASOS.com, the UK’s largest online only fashion and beauty store plan to use the service later this year.
“DPD invests in market-leading technology to ensure customers are kept informed of their delivery status and provided alternative delivery options,” says Nick Robertson,
CEO ASOS.com. “That is why we work with DPD, they deliver the total package for us, including a market leading level of personal service.”
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