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

Luke Lloyd, Head of Markets at the IPC, discusses some of the key findings from the IPC's Global Postal Industry Report.

• GPIR based on various postal operators' reports
• Overview of post-pandemic parcel volume and revenue trends
• Letter volume trends
• Impact of pandemic on letter volumes
• Diversification of revenue, including letters, parcels, and financial services
• Variations in diversification across various postal operators
• Regional differences in letter and parcel volume trends

Titus Bütler, Head of Transport at Swiss Post, explains why and how Swiss Post is moving more mail and parcels by rail.

• How demands for speed and flexbility drove growth of road freight in the past
• Energy efficiency of rail vs trucks
• Rail terminals at Swiss Post logistics centres
• Ecological and economic benefits of prioritising rail
• Hybrid locomotives going into logistics centres
• Length vs speed of freight trains
• Rail being used for letters and parcels
• Special mail wagons
• Moving mail and parcels from logistics centres to rail terminals
• Dedicated postal trains
• Congestion on Swiss railway network
• Operating mail trains during the day and night
• Meeting delivery punctuality targets
• Using narrow gauge railways
• Swiss Post's sustainability strategy, including delivering using electric vehicles in the last mile

Vienna has set up a carrier-neutral parcel locker network called Wienbox. Some of Wienbox's key proponents discuss the parcel locker network's development and future. Monika Unterholzner, Deputy Director General of the Wiener Stadtwerke Group, whose responsibilities include logistics, Prof. Dr. Andreas Breinbauer, Head of the Logistics Department at the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna, who led academic support for Wienbox project, and David Strauß, Researcher Logistics and Transport Management, University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna cover:

• City issues such as emissions, public transport, and city logistics
• Creating a framework for city logistics
• Creating a parcel locker policy for City of Vienna
• Testing parcel lockers as a city logistics instrument
• Use of public space
• Developing a masterplan for city logistics in Vienna
• Involving various stakeholders in creating policy
• Using parcel lockers as micro hubs for logistics
• Developing use cases for parcel lockers, including public transport lost and found
• City utilities and municipal departments involved in Wienbox
• Backing up the project with science and academic research
• Parcel locker partners
• Looking for best practice in white label parcel lockers worldwide
• Critical factors for parcel locker network success - cost, location, environment, and customer satisfaction
• Customer perspectives of parcel lockers
• Results of customer survey
• Factors that increase likelihood of customers using parcel lockers
• Realising potential environmental benefits of parcel lockers
• Who can use Wienbox parcel lockers (including delivery companies)
• Criteria for parcel locker locations
• Lockers excluded from public space in Vienna
• Relationship between parcel locker network density and speed of parcel collection
• Future developments planned for Wienbox parcel lockers
• Size and spread of the Wienbox parcel locker network
• Mobile app for parcel locker access

Mustafa Tonguç, Managing Director at DHL Express Germany, discusses supply chain resilience and the growth in global B2B e-commerce:

• Why supply chain resilience is crucial
• Manufacturing being stimulated around the world
• DHL helping customers create new supply chains
• Enabling late customer checkout times for next-day delivery
• Omni-shoring, near-shoring and friend-shoring
• Sustainability and ethically sourced materials
• Digitalisation, automation and labour market issues
• Growth in B2B e-commerce
• Examples of B2B retailers selling online
• Expectations of B2B e-commerce shoppers
• Tips for improving cross-border B2B sales
• Two-person delivery
• On-demand delivery

Kate Muth, Executive Director at IMAG (International Mailers Advisory Group) discusses developments in international mail.

• Being awarded the Megan J Brennan Award by Women in Logistics & Delivery Services (WILDS)
• US de minimis threshold - currently $800
• Modernisation of US Customs
• STOP Act 2.0 update
• AED / EAD exemptions
• Opioid crisis, counterfeiting and forced labour
• Inbound parcel volumes under the de minimis threshold
• US outbound international mail
• ICS2
• Brazil e-commerce compliance
• Indonesian regulations on e-commerce and social media
• Making cross-border shopping seamless
• Improving AED/EAD compliance

Luke Lloyd, Head of Markets, IPC (International Post Corporation) discusses the 2022 results of the IPC Sustainability Measurement and Management System.

• Background to development of the IPC's SMMS
• Carbon emissions, health & safety, circular economy
• 31 postal operators report under SMMS, including 100,000 buildings, 600,000 vehicles, and 1.3m employees
• Progress towards 2030 targets, including renewable energy, alternative fuel vehicles, and recycling, and CO2 emissions
• Scrutiny of reporting
• Sharing of best practice
• Electrifying the middle mile
• Sustainable aviation fuel
• Using rail to reduce carbon footprint
• Reusable packaging
• The change from letters-focus to parcels-focus
• Exploring carbon footprint of cross-border items
• Consumer, retailer and regulator demand for greater visibility of delivery emissions