Archive for the ‘Parcel Delivery’ Category

The Role of a Good Courier Service in Dropshipping Business

Saturday, April 27th, 2019

Dropshipping might be the next big thing in the world of entrepreneurship. What’s so great about it is that it allows you to turn your idea into reality without leaving your home. Everything is done over the internet, starting with the creation of the product. You also get to sell the product online, as well as organize its delivery to the buyer.

Becoming a dropshipping retailer means owning a virtual store rather than a real one. Instead of coming to your brick-and-mortar store to take a look of the products you offer, potential buyers will check them out on your website. And if they decide to buy an item you sell, you won’t be the one who sends it to them. That role is taken care of by the wholesaler/manufacturer, who will ship the item straight to the buyer without using you as the ‘middleman’.

Still, this doesn’t mean that you’re not in charge of anything. Apart from promoting the products to the potential buyers, your job is also to ensure all other processes are done the right way, parcel delivery included. The fact that you won’t physically deal with parcel delivery does not mean you don’t get any say in it. Actually, you do get your say as the dropshipping retailer is the one who gets to decide which courier service to do business with.

The Importance of Courier Service in Dropshipping

Sure, you can let the buyer, or even the wholesaler, to decide how the items will get shipped. Still, for the sake of your business, it is better to take the matters in your own hands. After all, shipping is an important part of the dropshipping business.

In this day and age, you can buy almost anything on the internet. There are literally thousands of online stores out there, meaning that the competition is fierce. In order to succeed in this type of business, you need to do all in your power to keep the customers satisfied. And you can bet they’re not gonna be satisfied if their package gets lost, damaged, or takes much longer to arrive than expected.

If a courier service makes a mistake, the buyers are probably not going to blame them, but you. In order not to lose your customers due to the mistakes of others, you need to find a good courier company. But, what are the things that make a courier company good?

Reliability

If an item is going to be shipped from another part of the world, let’s say China, the wholesaler probably won’t be willing to risk anything. Instead, they’ll insist on getting paid in advance. That means that either you or the customer is going to have to pay for it before the item gets on its way. And because of that, not receiving the package (or getting a damaged item) is going to mean loss of money.

To reduce the risk of such a scenario, the best thing you can do is find a reliable courier company, even if that meant paying more for the service or waiting a little bit longer for the delivery.

Delivery time

When you buy something online, you want it to get to your address as soon as possible. The problem is that it takes time to ship items from another part of the world. Unfortunately, for some customers, a long delivery time can be a deal-breaker. However, what’s even worse is not getting a parcel at the expected time. And that’s exactly what’s likely to happen if you put your trust into an unreliable shipping company.

If the delivery time they offer seems too good to be true, it’s because it probably isn’t. The fact is that it takes about 3 weeks for a package to arrive from China to Europe if sent by sea freight. It’s much faster if air freight is used, but it’s also much more expensive.

Price

Speaking of shipping price, this is another big deal-breaker for your customers. You can try to solve it by letting them decide on the shipping method, but as we’ve already mentioned, this would increase the risk of the parcel not arriving at time, or not arriving at all.

The second option is to pick the best-possible shipping option, but that would increase the cost of the item and that could make the customer decide to give up on it. Sure, you can cover the shipping fees on your own, but that would greatly reduce your profits. So, what are you supposed to do?

Finding some middle-ground is what you got to do, based on the distance between the wholesaler and the customers, the value of the items, and many other factors.

Coverage

A big factor in deciding which shipping company to use is their coverage. You need to pick it according to the location of the wholesaler, as well as the location of most of your customers. There really is not point in offering a worldwide delivery (and paying more for it) if 99% of your customers are from the UK, for example.

Parcel tracking

For low-value shipping, some shipping companies don’t offer parcel tracing. And this increases the risk of the package getting lost. With no parcel tracking option, neither you, nor the buyer, nor even the wholesaler will know where the item is.

Returns

If the buyer isn’t pleased with the product for whatever reason and wishes to return it, who pays the shipping fees? You, the buyer, or the shipping company? Problems do happen in the dropshipping business and you need to have a solution ready.

Finding the Perfect Shipping Company

These are the things you need to take into account, as they can affect your dropshipping business significantly. A poor shipping company can tear your customers away from you. A good one, will keep them by your side.

But, the question is are you prepared to give up a little bit of profit in order to ensure your customers get their items in flawless condition, within the expected time frame? Finding the perfect balance between user satisfaction and your profits is of utmost importance here.

Tags: Dropshipping, Parcel Delivery
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Delivery Bots: Is This the Future of Parcel Delivery?

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019

It’s fair to say that most of us have had some problems with parcel delivery. Whether the problem was the parcel arriving late or not arriving at all, these kinds of scenarios can be pretty stressful. The good news is that such things are expected to become a part of the past. Future does seem bright in the parcel delivery universe.

Sure, it’s impossible to predict the future, especially when technology is in question. Still, the fact is that a number of big-name logistics companies are planning for the future. And their vision of future is implementing autonomous vehicles into parcel delivery business. Actually, as of 2019, there are already many companies going into the final stages of testing of their parcel delivery bots.

Delivery Bots Today

You might not see them on the streets every day, but delivery robots are already pretty much up and running. In Europe, several prominent companies have started pilot programs for delivering goods using unmanned vehicles.

Domino’s Pizza, a global fast-food chain teamed up with a company called Starship Technologies to create a fleet of delivery bots that would deliver pizzas in cities around the Netherlands and Germany. Although the robots didn’t revolutionize the pizza-delivery industry right away, they did provide some useful insights into the implementation of this kind of technology.

It’s a similar case with other test-projects going on across the world. The delivery robots of today might not yet have what it takes to change the shipping industry as we know it, but they definitely have the potential to do so in the near future.

Delivery Bots in Near Future

Biggest optimists believe self-driving vehicles will become a common thing by the year 2020. Those who are a little bit more skeptical think we will have to wait a few more years before they become a common sight on our roads (and skies). Still, it seems that everyone agrees that autonomous vehicles are going to start their revolution sometimes during the 2020s.

The issue here is not only that it takes time for the modern tech to become so sophisticated it can replace certain old-fashioned technologies; it’s also because modern tech has a potential to make certain jobs obsolete. In this particular case, delivery bots could make the old-fashioned couriers not needed anymore.

It does seem like a legitimate worry, but according to the experts, we’re still far away from something like that happening. Delivery robots will require some real workforce in order to keep them going. At least in the beginning.

The delivery model that involves unmanned vehicles and parcel machines is eagerly expected to become a real thing not only by big delivery companies but also by buyers/sellers from different parts of the planet. This technology definitely has the potential to revolutionize the industry. In a good way, of course.

First of all, with delivery robots, there’s no room for human error. This means that such scenarios like lost or damaged parcels will be removed from the narrative. Another benefit this technology is expected to bring is a reduced price of shipping.

How Do These Robots Work?

There are dozens of different companies out there that are currently working on developing delivery robots, meaning that in a few years’ time, we’re gonna see them in all shapes and sizes. Still, one thing all of the delivery robots will have regardless of who made them is their delivery model.

As this technology is developed with user-friendliness in mind, the delivery model is expected to function in the following manner:

Step 1 – The parcel sender requests a delivery bot on their address
Step 2 – Once the robot arrives, the sender places the package inside the robot (alternatively, the item is picked up by a human employee who then takes care of packing and placing it inside the bot)
Step 3 – The delivery robot then takes the parcel to the address of the recipient
Step 4 – In order to be able to receive the parcel, the recipient has to use a QR code (or digital signature, or some other method to confirm their identity) on their smartphone

Obviously, such a delivery model is not going to be possible for long-distance deliveries. In fact, judging by the experience of Dominos’ Pizza delivery bots, their delivery range cannot be bigger than only a few miles. In order to increase the range, the parcel will have to make a few extra stops along the way which brings the question of their efficiency. An old-fashioned parcel delivery service is bound to do a faster job than a fleet of delivery bots, each of which has a range of only a couple of miles.

Another problem with this is that the delivery bots, regardless of how tiny they might be, could cause severe problems to the traffic. They’re meant to use GPS to find their way to the destination, avoiding traffic jams along the way. The problem is that it takes a lot of computing power, even for large and expensive unmanned vehicles to get around in busy traffic, especially when found on the same road with manned vehicles. In turn, this could increase the number of traffic jams, as well as make driving less safe.

For all these reasons, it’s reasonable to assume that these types of vehicles will be used primarily for low-traffic places, such as college campuses, shopping malls, public parks, and so on. Another possible use for delivery bots is dealing with parcel sorting at large ports, where large volumes of cargo are shipped from abroad on a regular basis.

When it comes to other cases of parcel delivery, it appears that delivery drones are going to take things in their hands, rather than wheeled-delivery robots. After all, flying parcels from one place to another is safer, quicker, and possibly even cheaper than doing it on the ground. And that’s why it’s not surprising that delivery drones are already a fairly common sight unlike their counterparts on the ground.

Tags: Delivering Parcels, Parcel Delivery Services
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What to do if You Receive Someone Else’s Package?

Sunday, April 21st, 2019

These things happen all the time. We’re all humans after all and humans make mistakes. Unfortunately, a seemingly tiny mistake can sometimes turn into a big problem, not only for the sender but you as well. In preventing such a scenario, time is of the essence. As soon as you notice there’s something wrong, you need to act!

Fortunately, most senders put more information inside the parcel – to ensure that it will eventually get to its rightful owner. So if it gets misplaced, the person receiving the parcel will know who to contact to return it.

Even though returning the package should not be of inconvenience to the receiver, for whatever reason, sometimes, people refuse to cooperate with the courier company and fail to return the misplaced parcel. Most of the time, this is why the process of finding misplaced packages takes so long.

Our advice is not to be one of those persons. Instead, be a Good Samaritan and notify the courier service about the mistake. Otherwise, you can cause all kinds of issues to the sender and rightful package receiver, but also to yourself. Who knows, you might even get sued for that!

Why It’s Not Okay to Keep Someone Else’s Package?

It’s not advisable to withhold any misdeliveries ahead of attempting to return it. As the carriers are notified, either by the person who sent the package or the rightful recipient, that the delivery never arrived where it should have, they will track the delivering process and locate the parcel. Eventually, they can come to your house and enquire about the package – this should not surprise you. So our advice is that you do not attempt to retain any misdeliveries.

Should you receive something that was not ordered by you, the right thing to do is get in touch with the sender and then ask the courier to take the parcel back. Usually, deliveries that you receive but didn’t order are labeled by the courier as “unsolicited goods”. However, this might not be the case with misdeliveries.

It’s because the description on the parcel generally states clearly about who sent the package. This means that you have information about the sender, as well as about the person who is waiting for the package.

If you are unable to find the rightful recipient on your own, what you should do is get in touch with the ones that delivered the package – you will find information about the courier company on the tag of the parcel. Just calling their assistant service and informing them about the mistake should be enough. It’s up to the courier service to take care of the rest.

Making Sure Your Parcels Don’t Get Misdelivered

Double-checking that you’ve entered the right details about the recipient (e.g. their name, their phone number, the delivery address, etc.) goes without saying, but there are a few other ways to ensure your parcel is delivered to the right person and vice versa.

It is a good idea to watch the tracking system permanently, as even though incorrect data can help – it might signal if something wrong happened. Therefore, you’ll be informed if you should contact the carrier for enquiries. As per usual, at delivery, the tracking system displays the name of whom signed for the package. This way, in the case of it being delivered somewhere else, you will know.

Sometimes, for whatever motive, parcels can be checked by the carrier as “delivered” before they actually get delivered. The courier might bring it later, regardless of the tracking system showing otherwise. However, should the parcel be impossible to find even after a few days and it is declared lost by the company that was supposed to deliver it, you hold the right to file a claim o get your money back for your lost package.

Can you get a refund if your package was wrongly delivered? In the case of your parcel being unable to be tracked in a couple of days and the carrier declaring it lost – you have the right of filing a claim to get your money back. For this, proof of the cost of the parcel’s contents will be required. Then the company needs to assess the situation, and then you will be given a response.

Why Do Packages Get Misdelivered?

Usually, this happens due to receiving inaccurate or erroneous addresses or information. It can be a real challenge sometimes to find an individual home, so it’s vital to be careful with the information you give and check how accessible it is. Should the data be imprecise or the location obsolete, the parcel is generally brought back to whoever sent it by the carrier or the wrong beneficiary. So it is possible that you receive an unwanted parcel.

Often, issues come up when the location is hard to pinpoint. Generally, you don’t have to label your parcel and put information on the box (carriers mark the packages on their own – if not, they will need you to print a label and glue it to the parcel).

Nevertheless, it is useful if you point out who sent the package and who should receive it and their locations in the eventuality that the tag deteriorates or cannot be read anymore due to the delivery mechanism. It is then when the parcel gets from a depot to another, as the carriers try to read the undecipherable. If they do not succeed, the order will be returned to whoever sent it, if that information is still available.

A critical piece of information is the postal code – it aids in the sorting process, speeding it up for the delivery company. Generally, this is an automatic process, which means that is there is a mismatch between the actual location and the postal code, it will take a while until this gets observed. The delivery might get to the right place or be sent back.

There are times, though, when misdeliveries are just mistakes. Should the courier company say that the delivery has been made, yet you didn’t get anything – it usually means that your package was received by the wrong person.

Tags: Overnight Delivery, Parcel Delivery, Parcel Delivery Services
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Pros and Cons of Different Methods of Parcel Shipping

Thursday, April 18th, 2019

No matter what kind of item you wish to ship abroad, you surely want it to arrive to its destination as quickly as possible. But, are you ready to pay more money in order to save some time?

The thing is that some parcel shipping methods are more affordable than others. And in some cases, this can mean a lot, especially when long-distance shipping is concerned. Unfortunately, cheaper shipping methods are usually not as quick as those more-expensive ones.

Each shipping method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Deciding which one to use depends on your budget, your time, as well as the type of cargo you need to transport. With so many factors coming into play, it’s impossible to say which one of them is the very best. It’s up to you to decide…

And the only way to do it is by learning more about each of these shipping methods. So, let’s discuss each one of them more thoroughly!

Air Freight

When it comes to international shipping, air freight is, by far, the fastest method. This isn’t a surprise, considering that a plane can fly much faster than a ship can sail, not to mention that it can reach almost any destination on the planet, which isn’t the case with trucks.

So, now that we’ve established that air freight is much less time consuming than ship freight or truck freight, it’s time to talk about the downsides of this shipping method. The biggest downside is obviously the cost.

In almost all cases, air freight is more expensive than any other shipping method. It might not be a big deal if you’re gonna send a small item across the planet, but if international trade is your business, the cost of air freight can take a toll on your company’s profits.

Another problem with air freight is that the space inside a plane is limited – there’s less space inside a plane that inside a cargo ship. Therefore, weight is a major factor and you might not be allowed to transport your entire cargo in one go.

Pros of Air Freight:

The fastest international shipping method
Usually no delays
Safe & secure shipping method
Can be used anywhere in the world

Cons of Air Freight:

Expensive

Sea Freight

Sea freight seems perfect for bulk shipping. Why? Because it’s really cheap. It’s actually calculated that sea freight is about five times cheaper than air freight. Unfortunately, it’s also much slower.

So, if you’re low on supplies from China or some other remote part of the world, you will have to wait for weeks or even months for your shipment to arrive. With air freight, such concern wouldn’t bother you. Shipping goods from China to Europe via airplane usually takes only a couple of days.

Another issue with sea freight is that it’s not possible in every part of the world. For instance, shipping items from one of the big industrial centers in mainland China is impossible to do via sea – some of those cities are thousands of miles away from the nearest harbor.

On the bright side, sea freight is much more eco-friendly than air shipping. The thing is that that, on average, only 15g of CO2 is emitted par one tonne of cargo in sea freight. We say ‘only’ because the CO2 emission air freight causes is more than 40 times bigger.

Pros of Sea Freight:

The cheapest method of long-distance shipping
Much more eco-friendly than air freight

Cons of Sea Freight:

Time-consuming
Not available everywhere on the planet

International Courier Companies

When it comes to shipping items in Europe, the most cost-effective method is road freight, done by international courier companies. It’s much cheaper than air freight and much faster than sea freight.

Furthermore, hiring couriers to take care of the job, means that you don’t need to do anything apart from giving them the package (if you’re the sender) or receiving the package at your own address (if you’re the recipient).

Another great advantage of courier services is that they’re generally considered to be much safer than any other shipping method. So, if you need to transport your valuables or some fragile items, international couriers are the ones you should hire for the job.

Apart from using courier services to send/receive small packages, you can use them for bulk shipping purposes as well. The thing is that most international courier companies (at least those serious ones) have vehicle fleets with vans and trucks of different sizes. What this means is that they’ll be able to deliver your whole cargo in one go.

Speaking of their vehicle fleets, there are some courier companies that use airplanes and ships as well, not just land-based vehicles. And some have deals with other freight companies that allow them to use several means of transport in order to get your package delivered at the fastest and most-affordable rate possible.

Pros of Courier Service:

Ideal for international shipping across Europe
Fastest shipping methodat shorter distances (up to a thousand miles)
Way cheaper than air freight
Very reliable, safe, and secure

Cons of Courier Service:

Not ideal for cross-continent shipping

Which Shipping Method Should You Use?

There are so many factors that come into play when international shipping is concerned. Sometimes, the best-possible solution would be to use several different shipping methods to get your items delivered.

For instance, in order to get a shipment from mainland China to your place in the UK, it would be best if you could use a combination of air freight (to get the shipment from central China to a harbor), sea freight (to ship it from China to one of UK’s harbors), and courier service (to get the cargo delivered to your door).

Luckily for you, there are some international freight companies that can do this for you. Rather than deciding which shipping method is the best, you can leave everything to them. No need for guesswork about which kind of shipping option is the best for the item you’re sending/receiving, let Same Day Dispatch Services decide it for you!

Tags: Courier, Courier Services, Parcel Delivery, Reliable Couriers, Sameday Couriers
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What to Do if You’ve Sent a Parcel to a Wrong Address?

Sunday, April 14th, 2019

Although parcels don’t get misdelivered too often, mistakes do happen from time to time. After all, there are literally millions of parcels traveling the world every single moment. So, it can’t be surprising that some of them end up on a wrong address.

If you’ve sent a parcel to a wrong address by accident, worry not, because these problems do have their solutions. In some cases, they’re really easy to solve. In others, you will need a little bit of time and afford in order to re-send the parcel, this time to the right destination. Whether the problem is going to be big or small depends mostly on time. If you spot the mistake soon after sending the parcel, you can redirect it to the right address easily; if not, the problem can get ugly.

What to do if the Parcel is Still on the Move?

If the parcel that you’ve sent accidentally to a wrong address is still on its way, you can just get in touch with the courier service and tell them about the mistake. You don’t need to look for the specific courier who’s received the package; you need to notify the courier customer service. Their job is to get in touch with the driver who has the package with them and tell them about the change of plan.

In most cases, the courier service won’t charge you for this, although there are some examples. It all depends on the mileage your parcel has traveled. For example, if you’ve sent it to Australia instead of Austria, you can bet they’re going to charge you for your mistake.

Another worry you got to have is whether the courier has forgotten to make the package as delivered. Sometimes, they simply forget to do it and the result is that when you take a look at the parcel tracking app, you will see that it’s still on its way. But, in fact, the parcel has already been delivered. And it’s been delivered to a wrong address.

What to Do if the Parcel is Delivered to the Wrong Address?

Let’s say you’ve sent a package to a wrong address, but you’ve noticed it when it was already too late. Or, maybe you didn’t even notice it. Maybe the person who received the package was the one to notice the mistake. Or, maybe the person who was awaiting your package became tired or waiting and decided to ask around.

Whoever was the one to notice it really doesn’t matter much. If the mistake was made by you, you probably feel an obligation to set everything straight. So, how are you supposed to do it? Well, there are several things you can do at this point. One of those is to get in touch with the courier service and explain the whole situation to them. Unfortunately, they don’t have to help you with this, because they did their job by the book. They got the parcel delivered to the address that you had given them.

Still, the experience has shown that courier services are very user-friendly and usually very open to helping their customers who are in trouble. If you ask them to help you, they probably will. But, you can’t ask too much from them; they could go and pick up the parcel again and this time deliver it to the right address. However, you can’t ask them to go and ask the person who’s received the package to give it back. That’s something you will have to do on your own.

The people from the courier service might think that it would be sort of harassing to go to the person who’s accepted the package and ask it back. This goes double for cases when the parcel recipient isn’t willing to part with it. You will have to talk to them and ask them to return the package. So, how are you supposed to get in touch with that person?

Well, look for the receipt you got from the courier when you sent the package. That’s where you will find their address. Now, it’s time to take your phonebook (if it’s a local address) or go online in order to find the phone number of the person living there. The good news is that there are all sorts of online directories that can help you with your quest.

Why Do These Problems Happen and How to Prevent Them?

These issues happen often to the people who send packages on a daily basis. If your business relies on shipping products to all sides of the world every day, it’s fair to assume that some mistakes will slip in from time to time. But, there are some methods you can use to lower the chance that such mistakes will happen.

For instance, a very good idea is to check every detail after writing it down. But, your eyes might be too tired if you send dozens of parcels every day, so it’s better to give someone else to do it. And that someone could be the person who is supposed to receive the package. Just make a screenshot of the shipping form (if you’re doing it online) or take a photo of it (if you’re doing it manually) and send it over to them to take a look and see if everything is okay. Only when they confirm that everything is in perfect order should you send the parcel.

Another very good idea is to do your research when deciding which courier service to use. There are some companies that have methods for solving problems such as misplaced parcels. And they might be willing to solve the problem for you without charging anything extra. Furthermore, if you are doing business with only one courier company, they will probably want to reward your trust by taking care of such problems on their own. Actually, in most cases, picking the right company is all you got to do.

Tags: International Shipping, Parcel Couriers, Parcel Delivery, Parcel Delivery Services
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The Same-Day Delivery Revolution: What Customers Now Expect

Thursday, January 24th, 2019

Over half of retailers offer same-day delivery and this is likely to rise to 65% by the end of 2019.

Same-day delivery should be designed to provide a fast yet affordable delivery service to densely populated areas. However, this new trend is currently limited by the rising cost of fuel, labour, and maintenance. This means that although customers are demanding same-day delivery, it might not yet be feasible on a wide scale.

The dilemma businesses are now facing is how to give customers what they want in a sustainable way.

This post takes a look at the world of same-day delivery and what customers are now expecting. This will allow your business to get ahead of this growing trend and build a wider, more loyal customer base.

Combining the Convenience of Online Shopping with the Access of Brick-And-Mortar Stores

E-commerce has risen exponentially and it’s no surprise that same-day delivery will play an ever-increasing role in 2019-2020 strategies for business owners.

For retailers to be able to retain customer loyalty while simultaneously attracting new clients, they must meet their primary demands, namely, rapid delivery services.

Unsurprisingly, almost two-thirds of retailers are reportedly planning to offer same-day delivery within the next two years. Coupled with the fact that half of shoppers claim they would be happy to shop online if they could guarantee same-day delivery, even if they had to pay a premium for the service, the colossus that is e-commerce continues to hammer nails in the coffin of brick-and-mortar stores.

Same-Day Delivery: The Stats

In a recent survey, it was found that more than three-quarters of customers using DPD desired same-day delivery as an option at the checkout. What’s more, almost two-thirds were willing to also pay a premium for this luxury, and four-fifths would happily switch from a regular brand to a lesser-known brand that could offer them this level of service.

That is an astonishing amount of lost revenue for retailers who are currently not offering same-day delivery and shows a massive market ready to be captured for those who can.

The numbers really do speak for themselves – here are a few statistics that demonstrate the power rapid delivery truly holds at the moment:

56% of online consumers between the age of 18-34 years expect to have same-day delivery. Whereas 61% of consumers are willing to pay more for same-day delivery
49% of shoppers say that same-day delivery makes them more likely to shop online
96% of customers consider “fast delivery” to mean same-day delivery
80% of shoppers surveyed want same-day shipping, while 61% want their packages even faster — within 1-3 hours of placing an order.
More than 25% of shoppers would abandon a cart online if same-day shipping wasn’t available.

All these facts point to the current situation of the global economy: people want things yesterday.

Many of us will no doubt remember patiently waiting twenty minutes just for the dial-up internet to connect. In those days, we could only dream of fast-loading browsers and instant purchases.

We now live in an age where we don’t even need to carry cash because tapping a card or presenting our phones is sufficient to make a payment. We’re stepping into an age of instantaneous experiences and if you want your business to compete and keep up with the changing nature of commerce, same-day delivery is becoming a must-have feature of business.

The Demographic Trends Fuelling Rapid Delivery

It’s easy to think that the trend in rapid delivery is confined to higher-earning wage brackets, or only for the ‘quick’ retail markets like clothing and produce.

But the stats show that desire for and willingness to pay for same-day delivery is much more general.

Those on a higher pay scale are just as likely to pay for same-day delivery as those closer to the breadline, and with the natural rise of millennial wealth and penchant for online business, there seems to be an increasing likelihood to continue on this upward trend across a broader range of industry sectors.

One interesting statistic is that 18% of people (that’s nearly one in five customers) claim that same-day delivery is the most important factor when choosing one supplier over another.

Now, 18% may not seem like much but it does show an increasing trend in people putting a preference for a delivery service over the type of merchandise available and, more incredibly, over the quality of the merchandise itself.

This means companies are being forced to investigate the plausibility of same-day delivery or be left in the wake of the companies willing to.

The Role of the Global Giant, Amazon

One of the biggest drivers in the same-day delivery space is the global giant, Amazon.

Amazon has really pushed the boundaries of the logistical means of storing and delivering their products at an astonishing pace. It’s Amazon that is really driving the need for other retailers to keep up.

While Amazon continues to raise the bar, it’s unlikely that smaller operations can rival them in terms of volume of sales or revenue. But this doesn’t mean the domain of same-day delivery is reserved for the global powerhouses of retail. Perhaps, in fact, even the opposite.

If your business is able to offer quality products with time-critical delivery, it’s going to put you in a position that may well be above and beyond your competition.

How to Compete in the World of Same-Day Delivery

The general consensus of opinion is leaning toward delivery speed as being of equal or greater importance than the product itself. And moving into the future, this may be the key to opening up a vast new market for your business.

While companies are always going to need to compete on price, quality, and even availability, delivery speed is rapidly catching up as a major rivalling tool for businesses to consider in order to get ahead of the competition.

If you’re interested in finding out how our same-day courier services may work for your business, get in touch with Same Day Dispatch Services now. Tel: 0800 999 1010.

Tags: Courier Services, Same Day Couriers Service, Sameday Couriers
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Courier or carrier: which is the best parcel delivery service for you?

Saturday, December 22nd, 2018

Sometimes you want a same day delivery service. You turn to Google and ask for suggestions for parcel delivery services, and you get a list of companies. You notice some are called couriers and some are carriers.

You have a vague impression of couriers being those people on a bike of some kind dodging through the traffic. So, you opt for this personal service for the certainty of same day delivery. However, did you make the right decision?

You may be more interested in a next day parcel delivery service. You assume you don’t need the speed that the courier suggests, so you opt for the carrier. Good choice?

As with any business sector, there are many words used that those inside the profession understand. We don’t want to presume that all our clients have this knowledge. To help you make the right choice we want to help you understand the difference between a courier and a carrier and which might be right for you.

The courier parcel delivery service

A courier can guarantee same day delivery when a carrier cannot. This guarantee comes because a courier picks the parcel up from location A and delivers it to location B. The courier agrees to pick up your package from a set location discussed with you, the customer, and then directly delivers it to the destination. The parcel is not limited in size, and most courier services run a fleet of vans and trucks, with only some firms restricting themselves to small parcel messengering in inner cities or large towns.

Your courier parcel delivery service is not restricted by the demands of other parcel deliveries. You will enjoy a personalised service with the company, who will work with you to meet your needs. Equally, it is likely that the parcel will stay with the driver in this van until delivery. Therefore, there is no need for processing at a distribution centre, which can cause delays and other issues. The likelihood of damages or loss of your parcel is reduced significantly, and your end customer receives the same care as you received when setting up the delivery.

This service is appealing because you have more control and more security of service. You can make promises to your customers that you might not be able to make with a carrier. As this is a dedicated service, you will pay more for a courier.

The carrier parcel delivery service

The carrier could be part of a supply chain or could deliver directly to the customer. The significant difference from a courier parcel delivery service is you will not be able to specify the logistics. For instance, the carrier might only be responsible for picking up your parcel and delivering it to the distribution centre. Equally, the carrier may only take responsibility for delivery to a set locality.

The need for a supply chain between carriers usually means that the carrier can only to offer next day carrier services.

The carrier will be responsible for making multiple parcel drops within an area. You lose the personalised service, as the carrier can only indicate a timeframe for delivery. This timeframe will be based on the manifest carried by a driver and the logistics of organising deliveries in the most cost-efficient way to all customers.

Although you are unlikely to have direct contact with the carrier who eventually delivers the parcel at the other end, you will be given the option to track the package online. This tracking offers basic information about where your parcel is and when this stage in the delivery took place. You are unlikely to find specifics such as expected time of arrival on the website.

However, as a carrier can maximise outgoings, some of these savings can be passed on to customers. The cost of a carrier for next day delivery is significantly less than that of a courier offering a same-day parcel delivery service.

Courier or Carrier: which should I choose?

If you are happy to have your parcel arrive the next day, then you are likely to need the services of a carrier. If you need a same day parcel delivery service, it is probable you will need a courier.

If you are receiving a parcel on next-day delivery, then your online store is probably using a carrier. This carrier may be part of a chain. Therefore, it may start with one company and then be passed to a local handler within the town or city to do the last leg of the journey.

If you worry about your parcel being passed between drivers and between hubs, then you are going to struggle with a carrier. They deal with large consignments within each van, and the driver is sticking to a tight manifest.

A courier is a more expensive option. However, the driver will pick the parcel up from you and deliver this to your customer or the recipient. This personalised service allows you to make guarantees you cannot make with a carrier, including that the parcel will arrive in a set condition by a set time.

Your costs and your needs will dictate which of these services is best for your delivery.

Contact Same Day Dispatch Services Ltd. We can offer reasonable quotations and a personal service. We understand how to deliver your parcel safely and on time.

Tags: Courier, Courier Services, Parcel Delivery, Reliable Couriers, Sameday Couriers
Posted in Courier Services, Parcel Delivery, Sameday Couriers | No Comments »

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