So, the summer holidays are over. The children are back at school and it’s back to life as normal. Of course with the onset of September and the return to normality comes the reality that peak is fast approaching and retailers will be working hard to ensure they are ready to manage shopper demand.
Figures released earlier this summer showed that despite an expected lull online shoppers were still shopping in droves. New figures this week from Pitney Bowes suggest that global shipping volumes will surpass 100 billion parcels by 2021 and that last year the total volume accounted for 22 parcels shipped per person globally.
For those customers looking to ship their own parcels a little more easily we have news of Parcelforce Worldwide which is running a short trial of self-serve kiosks at depots in London Central, Newcastle and Milton Keynes.
We also have logistics updates from DHL and Postnord. DHL is extending its reach in Europe with the launch of operations in Switzerland. The company is launching its own parcel network in the country through a network of local partners bringing it to a total of 27 countries in the DHL Parcel Europe network.
PostNord meanwhile has revealed that it has won a three-year extension to its contract with Zalando to provide logistics services exclusively in the Nordic region.
In the US UPS has become one of the latest companies to launch a digital platform that matches warehouse space and fulfilment services with retailers. The service launched in July but was only formally announced last week.
Finally in our opinion piece this week we have a warning to retailers to keep an eye on what’s happening within their supply chains. Michael Harris of LexisNexis Risk Solutions explains how to clean up the supply chain and ensure you keep on top of the risks.
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