DHL targets e-commerce with ‘virtual delivery network’ service

Responding to demand for faster, more personalized service from customers, DHL has launched DHL Parcel Metro in the U.S., which the express company says is a fast and flexible service for online retailers that meets consumers’ increasing demand for same-day and next-day delivery.

“E-tailers today recognize more and more that the customer experience – and their ability to build customer loyalty – is won and lost in how well the orders are fulfilled and delivered,” said Charles Brewer, CEO of DHL eCommerce.

DHL’s latest efforts reflect moves by logistics companies to integrate themselves into their clients’ customer-facing experience. A botched or slow delivery reflects badly on the retailer, regardless of who handles the delivery, and logistics companies are vying to prove their mettle in this space.

The delivery business is changing as fast as the technology that underpins it, and consumer expectations are evolving due to a number of major trends, including e-commerce and urbanization. DHL’s latest service aims to provide more flexible and efficient services to meet this demand.

Parcel Metro utilizes customized software that gives its customers a “virtual delivery network” of local and regional delivery vendors and crowd-sourced providers to ensure maximum flexibility over the last mile.

The new service is now available in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, and will be launched in Dallas, Atlanta, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., later in the year.