Competitor Watch
Several UK parcel carriers have announced that they are adding extra services, as well as adjusting their operations due to coronavirus.
Hermes UK has announced it is supporting SMEs across a range of sectors as their sales skyrocket due to a rise in consumers looking for online alternatives during the lockdown.
The company has said they are delivering around 700,000 parcels a week on behalf of their business account customers (SMEs) – an uplift of 100 per cent on this time last year.
Jon Oldroyd, head of business accounts at Hermes UK, said: ‘Many of our SME clients have been able to respond quickly to the changing needs of consumers who are looking for alternative sources of products as a result of shop closures and travel restrictions.
‘Our account managers have worked closely with them to understand how we can best support them during these challenging times whilst ensure that the safety of our people and our customers remains a top priority.’
Delivery management firm Whistl has launched a trial in three locations of a new delivery service for low volume e-tailers who cannot access competitive parcel pricing due to their low volumes.
The service which is launching in the West Midlands (Minworth), South Yorkshire (Dinnington) and Nottingham will see Whistl collect parcels from local e-tailers, consolidate at its new and existing micro hubs, then pass over to their partners for delivery to the consumer.
Small volume e-tailers will have access for the first time to carrier management systems (CMS) that will enable them to offer consumers a wider range of delivery options including 24- and 48- hour services. The CMS, which is seamlessly integrated into the existing order management system, will automatically choose the best carrier for the job depending on size, weight and service required.
Other benefits to e-tailers include single label production, which connects the whole delivery process together enabling better journey transparency through increased track and traceability of the parcel.
With the micro-hubs located in big conurbations, Whistl claims it is able to offer better collection times and reduce the environmental impact of collections through reduced mileage to the handover of parcels to delivery partners.
Whistl chief executive Nick Wells, said: ‘Whistl has always been a champion for our customers and looking at ways for organisations, no matter their size, to benefit from competition in the delivery space.
‘As we are seeing unprecedented demand for goods online during the current covid-19 crisis, it is important that all retailers, no matter what size, have the opportunity to get their goods to customers competitively.’
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