Postal Hub podcast

Marshall Hughes, co-founder and CEO of delivery start-up Passel, joins me to discuss:

• Funding of delivery start-ups, including Passel
• Different delivery models, including:
  • Crowd-sourcing
  • Sharing economy
  • Gig economy
• How companies such as Uber and Lyft are contributing to traffic congestion
• Passel's domestic and international expansion plans
• Some of the challenges of expanding into other markets
• Environmental considerations in the last mile
• The same-day delivery market, including customers' varying delivery expectations
• Recruiting new delivery people
• The technology behind on-demand same-day delivery

The USA has announced its intention to leave the UPU. Anna Möller Boivie, Managing Director of Copenhagen Economics (Stockholm), shares her insights:

• The options available to the USA:
  • Bilateral agreements
  • Multilateral agreements
• What would happen if there's a "no deal" exit?
• The UPU services other than terminal dues that will be affected by the USA's potential exit.
• Has the UPU made any progress to solve the small packets issue?
• Could the USA chosen a different path than simply leaving the UPU? What other options exist?
• How Sweden has stopped small parcels from China avoiding tax, and if that could be an option for the USA.

Richard Wishart then joins me (11:06) to give his opinion on the matter. We cover:

• The background to the international cross-border product EMS, including international arrangements under the UPU and IPC:
  • Standards
  • Pricing
  • Monitoring
• The need for international standards (16:25)
  • Addressing
  • Parcel sizing
• What is the USA trying to achieve by pulling out of the UPU? (18:00)
• How does the USA contribute to the UPU? (19:00)
• Implications for USA e-commerce companies that sell cross-border? (21:32)
• The USA's potential loss of lobbying power (24:00)
• The lack of progress in resolving terminal dues, and transparency of information (25:17)
• The need for location standards under the UPU (26:03)
• Is this an opportunity for the UPU to embrace reform? (27:32)

The USA has filed divorce papers with the UPU… but will parcel carriers be the real winners? Dean Maciuba, Managing Partner North America at Last Mile Experts, spoke with me in the immediate aftermath of the USA's announcement.

- The domestic news that helped trigger the USA's decision

- Could the carriers benefit?

More detailed analysis and opinion on this topic coming next week!

Cathy Morrow Roberson, founder at Logistics Trends and Insights, joins me to discuss how UPS is preparing for peak season, including:

- Expanding interactive delivery management tool UPS My Choice to new markets

- The new sorting centre and expanded parcel sorting capacity

- Hiring surge for peak season

Marek Różycki, Managing Partner at Last Mile Experts, joins me to cover some of the key discussion points from our recent Post Expo workshop "Understanding Amazon means winning the last mile", including:

• Amazon's European acquisitions in the last mile
• Amazon Flex crowd-sourced delivery
• Out of home delivery, including first-time delivery rates
• Branding of delivery vehicles
• Drones in the last mile
• How serious Amazon is about innovation
• Amazon in the home, including the Amazon Dash Wand

Martin Luts, Chief Operational Officer at Omniva, joins me to talk about some innovation and new infrastructure, including:

• A new sorting centre
  • Increased efficiency and volume capacity
  • Centralised sorting of letters and parcels under the same roof
  • Sorting plans and subsidiary hubs
  • Solar panels on the roof
• Electric vehicle trial, and the use cases for electric delivery vehicles
• Omniva's growing network of parcel lockers across the Baltics
  • Public acceptance
  • Location and availability

Also in this episode, Dean Maciuba, Managing Partner North America for Last Mile Experts, analyses Amazon's recent wage increase.

• What this means for small carriers as well as the delivery giants such as UPS, FedEx and USPS
• The tight labour market and hiring for peak season

Dean Maciuba, Managing Partner North America for Last Mile Experts, joins me to analyse recent announcements from UPS, including:

• Labour rates
• New employee contract, and new classes of drivers
• Hiring temporary workers for peak season
• The tight US labour market
• The UPS Access Point (PUDO) network, and delivery efficiencies
• Amazon volumes - profitability and threats
• FedEx strategy, including profitability of ground shipments and residential deliveries
• B2B deliveries, delivery density, and profitability
• Amazon Delivery Partners - what's the future for UPS?

Episode sponsored by Onfleet.

John Reis, General Manager Retail at Canada Post, is my special guest. Our interview was recorded at the recent E-BISS Retail Workshop. We cover:

• Canada Post's concept post offices
• Drive-thru parcel collection
• Self-serve terminals - including discounts on shipping rates
• Change rooms in post offices
• How FlexDelivery (delivery direct to post office) works
• PO Boxes and parcel collection
• Cash on delivery

Australia Post has launched a public awareness campaign, focusing on promoting safety for its delivery officers. Also in this episode, plans in the UK to give electric vehicles priority in traffic.

Cooper Smith, Director of Amazon Intelligence at L2 Gartner, is back to talk about Amazon, delivery, omni-channel and much more:

• Trends in click-and-collect and return in-store
• Amazon's weakness in omni-channel
• What US retailers can learn from UK retailers in the omni-channel retail experience
• How do retailers give customers the most purchasing and fulfilment options?
• Cost incentives relating to e-commerce shipping
• Geo-targeting of customers
• Speed of delivery offered and the speed that customers want
• Free delivery thresholds and membership programmes
• Customer service in retail
• Amazon delivering the last mile

Supermercato24 CEO Federico Sargenti talks about the personalised online grocery delivery experience, including:

• How Supermercato24 works, including personal shoppers
• The picking and delivery experience
• Achieving time-window delivery
• Partnering with supermarket retailers to offer delivery
• Enabling smaller retailers to offer e-commerce and delivery
• How the delivery model works outside of major cities
• Matching demand and supply
• Delivering temperature-sensitive and "bruise-able" groceries
• Expansion plans