Global transportation conglomerate DHL is launching a new subsidiary this week, DHL Parcel Metro, in select U.S. cities – what it describes as a “fast and flexible service” for online retailers to meet demands for same- and next-day delivery.
DHL Parcel Metro is now available in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, and will be launched in Dallas and Atlanta in the second quarter of 2018 with San Francisco to follow in the third quarter and Washington D.C. to follow before the end of the year.
Lee Spratt, CEO of DHL eCommerce Americas, said Parcel Metro creates a “virtual delivery network” of local and regional delivery vendors and crowd-sourced drivers and vehicles to ensure maximum flexibility and capacity over the last- mile. It does this via a bespoke software platform, which selects drivers that offer the appropriate service levels and sufficient capacity on specific routes and which meet the company’s quality standards.
For consumers, the service creates a “seamless experience,” he said. Once they place their orders, they can select from a range of delivery time windows– including two-hour, same day and next day – and their preferred delivery destination.
A mobile interface – which the retailer can choose to customize with their own branding – allows consumers to track shipments in real-time, communicate special instructions to their courier, reschedule a delivery and rate their delivery experience. DHL eCommerce can bundle fulfillment and Parcel Metro delivery solutions for online retailers, Spratt added.
“About 86% of consumers associate delivery as part of their total online shopping experience, according to research, thus it’s important for DHL to offer services that not only meet their needs, but do so in a highly consistent fashion,” he said.
“E-tailers today recognize more and more that the customer experience – and their ability to build customer loyalty – is won and lost in how well the orders are fulfilled and delivered,” added Charles Brewer, CEO of DHL eCommerce. “DHL Parcel Metro is part of a number of innovations we are actively implementing, including augmented reality glasses for greater pick accuracy, ‘follow me’ robots, and autonomous vehicles.”
