Postal Hub podcast

Kati Nevalainen, Director, Parcel Services at Matkahuolto, discusses parcel delivery across Finland and the Nordics:

• History of Matkahuolto carrying parcels
• Matkahuolto's public transport roots
• B2B, B2C and C2C deliveries
• Interacting with C2C via mobile apps as well as in-store
• Residential delivery and out-of-home delivery
• Matkahuolto's service point network
• Finnish consumers' delivery preferences
• Size of Matkahuolto's parcel locker network and service point network
• Density of out-of-home network
• Location of Matkahuolto parcel lockers
• Cross-border delivery and delivery partners, including Omniva, GLS and Bring
• Matkahuolto's sustainability commitments
• Customer experience and parcel lockers
• Using agnostic parcel locker networks and own parcel locker network
• Smartmile acquisition
• Publishing parcel locker data
• Redirecting parcels to nearby PUDO points

Peter Dunn, Director of European Relations, Cullen International, discusses the USO, how European postal operators are reacting to falling letter volumes, and more.

• The purpose of the Postal Services Directive, including letters USO and quality of service
• How local universal service obligations can be changed
• Flexibility provisions in Postal Services Directive
• Changes to letter delivery frequency in Italy (Poste Italiane)
• Letter volume declines in Nordic countries
• Introducing alternate-day letter delivery
• Lack of standardised EU approach to USO scope definition
• Parcels in the USO
• Local variations in letter volume declines
• Review of the Postal Services Directive
• State aid and government support for postal operators
• Letter trends and USO review worldwide
• Varying national responses to falling letter volumes
• Cultural and operational differences between postal operators and markets

Professor John Colley from the Warwick Business School discusses developments in gig economy delivery and ultrafast grocery delivery (q-commerce). We cover:

• Demise of rapid, ultrafast delivery
• Difficult economics of ultrafast delivery
• High costs of q-commerce never passed on to consumers
• Supermarket chains acquiring failed rapid delivery startups
• Availability of venture capital funding
• Gig economy delivery model
• Regulation of the gig economy
• Workers' rights and driver strike action
• Lack of profitability and growth in gig economy delivery
• Difference between markets
• Affluence vs low minimum wages as an indicator of gig economy delivery
• History repeating itself with ride hailing
• Batching of fast food orders

Rob King, CEO and co-founder at Zedify, discusses customer experience in the last mile, sustainability, greenwashing, and cargo bike delivery.

• Creating better delivery for customers and the environment
• Large vehicles vs small vehicles in urban delivery
• Microhubs in cities
• The last mile as an extension of the online retailer's brand
• Retailers paying more attention to delivery emissions
• Key factors in getting the customer experience right in delivery
• Estimated delivery times and electronic delivery notifications
• The human interaction at the doorstep
• Retailers' concerns about greenwashing in delivery
• Reporting emissions
• Cargo bike delivery trends
• Difficulties in decarbonising delivery

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