Retailers welcome one-hour delivery slot courier

Retailers including Dixons, Currys and mobile phone brand Three are among the brands that have signed up to a new courier service that offers one-hour delivery slots.

The DPD service launches today and aims to end the delivery practice that means consumers have to wait for deliveries to arrive within lengthy timeslots or collect items bought online from a depot following a failed delivery.

During the Royal Mail postal strikes last year, several retailers such as John Lewis, Amazon, eBay and Argos took steps to use alternative delivery services for their online operations to reassure customers that deliveries would still be made on time and avoid their brand being damaged by strike action.

DPD will send a text message or email to customers with a precise one-hour window for delivery, which they can either accept or rearrange for a convenient time.

DPD CEO Dwain McDonald, says: “Most online shoppers are busy people who love the ease of buying on the internet at any time of the day or night but resent the inconvenience of waiting in all day for a delivery. Consumers who value their time are more likely to re-order from retailers who proactively communicate with them to make the delivery experience as convenient as possible.”

David Smith, director of operations at IMRG, the membership community for the e-retail industry, says: “Our own research shows that 62% of online shoppers have experienced a failed delivery due to nobody being at home and a further 38% are put off purchasing because delivery times are too vague. That’s why we think that the new DPD offering will be welcomed by retailers and by their customers.”

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