UPS prepare for busy week in the US

UPS has said it is expecting its parcel volumes to soar next week as consumers start to return Christmas gifts to retailers. The US parcel delivery giant has said January 6th is to be the busiest, with it being labelled “UPS National Returns Day.” The carrier is expecting more than 800,000 packages to be shipped on the day. By the end of the first full week in January, UPS is anticipating the transport of 4 million return packages and parcels in the USA alone.

UPS Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Alan Gershenhorn, has said: “As e-commerce continues to grow, simple returns services have become an essential part of the overall consumer shopping experience with 66% reviewing a retailer’s return policy before making a purchase, and 68% said they would complete an online purchase if the retailer simply offered a free return shipping label.”

In a bid to keep its customers informed, UPS has recently updated its website and mobile app to help those looking to return items to find a convenient drop-off location. The firm has recently expanded its network by introducing 400 new UPS Access Points across the US.

UPS invests in cross-border e-commerce shipping company i-parcel

UPS is due to enhance its involvement in cross-border e-commerce to help its online retailers gain better access to transatlantic consumers. American company i-parcel specialise in helping provide localised versions of retail websites selling goods in local currencies, as well as being able to ship  to foreign consumers.

i-parcels is a company that was founded around nine years ago, offering its customers the power to shop using British and American e-commerce websites with ease and as if they were shopping in their own country. Once items are sold to consumers overseas, the company then ships to one of its i-parcel hubs in Los Angeles, Indianapolis, New Jersey in the USA, or Surrey within the UK. i-parcel then helps in assisting the transportation of the goods overseas via commercial airlines using local courier services.

Alan Gershenhorn, UPS Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, has said: "UPS continues to look ahead to the expanding worldwide demands in the ever-growing global e-commerce market. UPS continues to invest in capabilities that enable its e-commerce merchants to meet the growing global demand." Speaking of UPS's involvement with i-parcel, Gershenhorn also added: "i-parcel has been an international bridge linking US and UK merchants to global e-commerce consumers throughout the world and our team is excited to join with UPS to further globalise e-commerce."

E-commerce strengthens as rules for EU purchase returns change

Recent news has revealed that as of June 13th, new rules regarding consumer rights will be launched across the European Union, offering online shoppers a longer period for cancelling an online purchase. The new rule is set to provide even bigger business for postal operators and parcel carriers throughout Europe.

The new ruling is due to take place as of June 13th
throughout Europe

The new ruling will enable consumers with the right to cancel their order within 14 calendar days from the day the purchase received, including the opportunity to send it back. The new "cooling off" period is an extension of the original seven days. Following the change of rules, retailers will now be expected to provide a refund within 14 days of the order's cancellation, in additional to the refund of any shipping charges paid for as part of the order.

However, the new ruling will not apply to tickets or hotel bookings, in addition to those companies that provide regular food and beverage deliveries, such as supermarkets.

Additionally to the new return period of 14 days, consumers will also have the right to a a full year to decide if they are to keep their purchase if the retailer does not inform them correctly and clearly of their rights to return.

Business manager at Itella, the Finnish postal company, Anders Falck, has said: "An online store should make it clear whether returning is subject to a charge or not, and how it is done in practice."

DPD introduces “early warning” system for customers of online fashion retailer ASOS

DPD have announced they are to launch a newly introduced “early warning” system, consisting of an e-mail and text notification service for its deliveries with online fashion retailer ASOS.

The new service will give customers notification of when their parcel is anticipated to arrive the night before of the expected delivery date. This comes as an expansion on the Follow My Parcel initiative that was introduced previously, which enabled customers to track their parcels in real time, before delivery occurring within a 15 minute time slot.

The new “early warnings” method will allow customers to be aware of when their shipment is likely to be delivered up to 12 hours beforehand.

The notification, which is to be sent to the customer the evening before, will provide them with five delivery options, some of these being delivery to a safe place, being able to collect the shipment from the nearest depot and giving the option of upgrading the service for delivery before a certain time, or even delivery on a Saturday morning. Further options for the customer will also include offering delivery to a neighbour or rearranging the delivery day for a more convenient date.

Having been founded in 2000, ASOS has become one of the UK’s biggest fashion retailers, being based solely online. With a reported 29.5million people visiting the website on a monthly basis, with a range of around 65,000 products to choose from, ASOS has seen growth in their sales by £769.4 million last year, this being an increase of 39%.

Matt Rogers, Director of Delivery Solutions at ASOS, has spoken of the impact the new system will have on the customer experience in shopping with them: “For us, making sure customers receive their goods promptly and safely is every bit as important as being able to find what they want on the site in the first place.” Rogers further says that the ability for customers to change their delivery preferences “is a fantastic advantage too.”

Further to this, DPD’s UK Chief Executive, Dwain McDonald, has expressed the importance of an effective delivery service to their business: “Online fashion retailing is a fast moving business and our aim is to provide a home delivery service that exceeds people’s expectations and helps turn shoppers into repeat purchasers and loyal customers.”

Royal Mail research reveals massive growth in UK e-commerce

The number of online-only e-retailing business has more than doubled in the past five years from 6,700 in 2008 to 14,400 in 2012, according to a nationwide study commissioned by Royal Mail. While the number of businesses contributing to the British economy fell an annual average of 0.4% for the years covered, the number of companies selling goods online saw a staggering 21.3% average annual growth. 

Speaking of the study, Managing Director of Royal Mail Parcels Nick Landon commented: "Online-only e-retailing has become an increasingly strong area for business start-ups and is making a strong contribution to the overall UK economy. With continued growth in online shopping, we can expect more significant contributions to the UK economy in current years."

Online sales are also way ahead of the retail sector as a whole, according to a recent CEBR study of ONS data: e-retailing grew by almost 50% while the total retail sector saw only 13.6% growth. Given that increased online sales means increased demand for postage and delivery Royal Mail are set to take advantage of this increase as part of their growth strategy. Courier services resellers such as Transglobal Express are are also set to benefit from this increase, given that their highly competitive rates for services such as UPS, DHL Express and TNT can rival Royal Mail in terms of price and service, as well as offering much lower costs than customers would incur by booking directly with the courier.