Restaurant delivery expert Peter Backman - the brains behind thedelivery.world and The Delivery Prophets - discusses the differences and similarities between food delivery and parcel delivery.

• The difference between restaurant delivery and grocery delivery
• Why restaurant delivery is not a new thing
• Technology and delivery aggregators changing restaurant delivery
• Importance of timeliness to restaurant delivery
• Delivery problems in meal delivery
• How delivery aggregators are using tech to upend restaurant delivery
• Ability to plan last mile deliveries
• Batching of orders
• Timeliness of meal delivery
• La Poste delivering meals, and planned meal delivery
• Consumers tracking orders and deliveries
• Delivery pricing and menu pricing
• Restaurant delivery companies struggling to make a profit
• Fees, food prices, up-selling, and other ways to fund delivery
• Delivery costs and impact on restaurant profitability

 

Belgian postal operator bpost has launched its carbon calculator, which estimates the carbon emissions associated with domestic parcels. Karin Enzlin, Head of Sustainability at bpost, discusses how the carbon calculator works and what it could mean for e-commerce delivery.

• Background on bpost’s environmental and sustainability strategy and ambitions
• Electrifying the last mile and using out-of-home delivery
• Emission-free delivery in Ecozones
• Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
• Lowering emissions
• Reporting bpost’s emissions to e-commerce retailers
• How bpost’s carbon calculator tool works
• Validating the carbon calculator and complying with standards
• Applicable for bpost parcels in Belgium
• Predicting parcel emissions and future improvements to the carbon calculator
• Helping consumers understand the environmental impact of different delivery options
• How the carbon calculator tool will help bpost reduce its own emissions
• Standardisation and regulation of last mile delivery emissions reporting, including conversations with Belgian regulator BIPT

 

Axel Dekker, CEO and co-founder of Packaly, discusses delivery optimisation, reducing emissions, and reporting emissions.

• Overview of the Packaly network
• Freelance riders and local partners
• Consolidating orders  
• Ship-from-store and ship-from-hub
• Choosing the right vehicle for delivery routes
• Managing volumes (size) and routing for delivery vehicles
• Working with retailers and delivery partners to improve data
• Delivering to low-emission zones
• Sharing delivery hub infrastructure
• Giving retailers greater visibility of last mile emissions
• Calculating emissions at a granular level
• Need to standardise of emissions reporting

 

Kati Nevalainen, Director, Parcel Services at Matkahuolto, discusses parcel delivery across Finland and the Nordics:

• History of Matkahuolto carrying parcels
• Matkahuolto's public transport roots
• B2B, B2C and C2C deliveries
• Interacting with C2C via mobile apps as well as in-store
• Residential delivery and out-of-home delivery
• Matkahuolto's service point network
• Finnish consumers' delivery preferences
• Size of Matkahuolto's parcel locker network and service point network
• Density of out-of-home network
• Location of Matkahuolto parcel lockers
• Cross-border delivery and delivery partners, including Omniva, GLS and Bring
• Matkahuolto's sustainability commitments
• Customer experience and parcel lockers
• Using agnostic parcel locker networks and own parcel locker network
• Smartmile acquisition
• Publishing parcel locker data
• Redirecting parcels to nearby PUDO points

 

Peter Dunn, Director of European Relations, Cullen International, discusses the USO, how European postal operators are reacting to falling letter volumes, and more.

• The purpose of the Postal Services Directive, including letters USO and quality of service
• How local universal service obligations can be changed
• Flexibility provisions in Postal Services Directive
• Changes to letter delivery frequency in Italy (Poste Italiane)
• Letter volume declines in Nordic countries
• Introducing alternate-day letter delivery
• Lack of standardised EU approach to USO scope definition
• Parcels in the USO
• Local variations in letter volume declines
• Review of the Postal Services Directive
• State aid and government support for postal operators
• Letter trends and USO review worldwide
• Varying national responses to falling letter volumes
• Cultural and operational differences between postal operators and markets

 

Professor John Colley from the Warwick Business School discusses developments in gig economy delivery and ultrafast grocery delivery (q-commerce). We cover:

• Demise of rapid, ultrafast delivery
• Difficult economics of ultrafast delivery
• High costs of q-commerce never passed on to consumers
• Supermarket chains acquiring failed rapid delivery startups
• Availability of venture capital funding
• Gig economy delivery model
• Regulation of the gig economy
• Workers' rights and driver strike action
• Lack of profitability and growth in gig economy delivery
• Difference between markets
• Affluence vs low minimum wages as an indicator of gig economy delivery
• History repeating itself with ride hailing
• Batching of fast food orders

 

Rob King, CEO and co-founder at Zedify, discusses customer experience in the last mile, sustainability, greenwashing, and cargo bike delivery.

• Creating better delivery for customers and the environment
• Large vehicles vs small vehicles in urban delivery
• Microhubs in cities
• The last mile as an extension of the online retailer's brand
• Retailers paying more attention to delivery emissions
• Key factors in getting the customer experience right in delivery
• Estimated delivery times and electronic delivery notifications
• The human interaction at the doorstep
• Retailers' concerns about greenwashing in delivery
• Reporting emissions
• Cargo bike delivery trends
• Difficulties in decarbonising delivery

 

Phil Read, Managing Director at Varamis, talks about using electric trains to transport parcels overnight in the UK:

• The inspiration behind Varamis
• Advantage of using high-speed passenger trains for moving parcels
• Acquiring electric trains
• Overnight parcel train service between Birmingham and Glasgow
• Proving trains can meet demands of parcel delivery sector
• Train paths - slots in the railway timetable
• Offering a regular train service for parcels
• Using former Royal Mail Red Star Parcel facilities
• Streamlining loading and unloading processes
• Integrating with the last mile
• Being price competitive compared to road transport
• Environmental benefits of rail over road
• Launching the Londin-Glasgow service
• Working with retail customers to create a service fit for purpose
• Future expansion plans across the UK

 

Myrthe Rosema, founder of social-inclusive delivery start-up Scootbezorgd, discusses the practical and social impact of last mile delivery via mobility scooter.

• The inspiration for Scootbezorgd
• Changing perceptions of mobility scooters
• Current operational area
• Using customised mobility scooters to ensure range
• Empowering people of differing physical and mental abilities to deliver
• B2B and B2C deliveries
• Fast (same-day and rush) delivery
• Paying couriers
• Waiting list to join Scootbezorgd
• Delivery technology and route planning
• Delivery scooters can traverse different topographies
• Riding on footpaths, in malls, and in restricted access / low emission city centres
• Future plans for Scootbezorgd, including returns and partnerships
• Proving the delivery and business model in Arnhem

 

Carmen Cureu, Market Research Director at Geopost, discusses some of the details in the 2023 edition of Geopost's e-shopper barometer.

• The factors driving modern e-commerce
• Why convenience is important
• E-commerce allowing customers to find bargains
• Decisions shoppers make when purchasing online
• Products need to be aligned with consumers' expectations
• Barriers to e-shoppers returning to an e-commerce website
• Consumers want to avoid returns
• Cost and environmental considerations of e-commerce returns
• Inconvenience to consumers of dealing with returns
• Statistics on e-commerce returns
• C2C e-commerce embraced by online shoppers
• Social selling, and how it showcases products
• Home delivery popularity trends
• Tracking, rescheduling, and predictability for home delivery
• Next day delivery, alternative delivery locations, and out-of-home delivery
• E-commerce product categories across Europe

 

How can delivery companies build efficient out-of-home delivery networks? Cédric Hervet, co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Kardinal, discusses the challenges industry players face in finding the best locations for PUDOs and lockers in terms of profitability and customer coverage:

• Why delivery companies are considering out-of-home delivery
• Differences between B2B and B2C parcel delivery
• First-time delivery
• Delivery density
• Cost per delivery
• Key factors in making out-of-home delivery a success
• Customer expectations
• Having trusted PUDO partners
• Offering customers multiple delivery options, including residential and out-of-home
• C2C deliveries
• Quality of service, cell availability at parcel lockers, PUDO staff training
• Challenges in building effective out-of-home delivery networks
• Connecting to existing OOH networks
• Network and territory coverage
• Defining what coverage means for each delivery area
• Optimising the process for building OOH networks
• Anticipating parcel hold times