DHL débuts e-commerce platform, expands presence in Europe

DHL is further investing in a future dominated by e-commerce, today releasing a digital platform for its e-commerce customers that will allow easy access to the company’s distribution network from a single source. The service underpins the company’s parallel goal of meeting demand for faster shipping, an effort it also intends to address by increasing the presence of its distribution centers in Europe.

The company’s existing e-commerce network encompasses 220 countries and territories, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Australia and Germany. Its newest location in Radlett, U.K., will tap the demand for e-commerce in the greater London area, offering same-day turnover for packages moving through the facility before reaching their final destinations. Plans to build facilities in Switzerland, the Netherlands and Poland are also on the horizon.

This news comes after the company published survey results in March that underlined the importance for industry leaders to keep up with digitalization trends or face losing out on business – the same month, the company debuting a “virtual delivery network” for its U.S. customers, which also intends to target e-commerce customers. The service announced today will tie its international network together in the form of a digital portal.

“Without seamless and reliable logistics processes, the current e-commerce boom would be inconceivable,” said Jürgen Gerdes, CEO of the e-commerce and parcel division at Deutsche Post DHL Group. “By further internationalizing our fulfillment portfolio, we will be able to do even more to help online retailers tap into new regions and benefit from the global e-commerce boom.”