-
Online shoppers can now send back return parcels in fully digitalised form
-
Digital solutions by app and online platform reduce the work involved in returns to a minimum
-
The mobile return parcel label conserves resources and offers consumers greater convenience
Aschaffenburg, 1 March 2017 – With its new digital solution for return shipping international parcel and express service provider DPD Germany is setting a new benchmark for the return of goods. The DPD app's Return button makes placing a return order as simple and resource-saving as never before. Consignees who wish to return goods delivered by DPD can now create a mobile return label by simply tapping the button in the DPD app. When the parcel is then handed in at a parcel shop a smartphone is all that's required – a physical parcel label is no longer necessary.
"The fast and convenient processing of returns is the basic requirement for continued growth in e-commerce"
Andreas Reß, Director Sales at DPD Deutschland
"The fast and convenient processing of returns is the basic requirement for continued growth in e-commerce," states Andreas Reß, Director Sales at DPD Deutschland. "Our Return button provides online retailers with the ideal conditions for increasing the loyalty of their customers further – while at the same time saving valuable resources both for consignees and for shippers."
In the case of conventional returns solutions the shipper normally encloses a physical return label with the shipment, and if necessary the consignee sticks the label on the parcel if the goods are to be returned. As an alternative, consignees can obtain a return label on online portals or on request, which they generally have to print out and stick on the parcel themselves. "For us the digital delivery experience is very much part of digital shopping", comments Andreas Reß, adding: "With the Return button we are now filling in a further gap for the purpose of providing online consumers with the highest level of convenience across the entire shopping experience."
The Return button can be used not just in the DPD app but also on paketnavigator.de, the DPD online platform which enables consignees to manage their parcels. In the case of parcels from retailers for whom the Return button has been activated, immediately after the parcel has been delivered the option of returning the goods is displayed in the app or on paketnavigator.de. If required a return order can then be created with the click of a mouse or the tap of a finger. A mobile return parcel label is then created as a 2D code, which can if required be integrated in the Apple Wallet (iOS) or WalletPasses (Android). When the return parcel is handed in at any of DPD's 6,000 Pickup parcelshops throughout Germany, all that is necessary is to display the mobile return parcel label on the smartphone.
"E-Shopper Barometer" demonstrates the importance of convenient return shipping
DPDgroup's "E-Shopper Barometer", which was published for the first time in February, demonstrates that an uncomplicated returns process is an essential criterion for consumers when it comes to online shopping. A survey of 1,582 German e-shoppers indicated that for 81% of those interviewed "complicated return shipping" represented a significant obstacle in making an online purchase.[1] No other criterion was mentioned more frequently by participants in the survey. By comparison, delivery which is not free of charge only represents an important hurdle in online shopping for 58% of those surveyed. For the "E-Shopper Barometer" carried out on behalf of DPDgroup the polling agency Kantar TNS asked 23,450 online shoppers in 23 European countries about their habits and preferences in online shopping.
A varied returns portfolio, even including a multicarrier solution
In addition to the Return button DPD offers customers even more options for implementing returns – from the classical solution in the form of an accompanying return label right across to individual returns management on the DPD Returns portal. In the autumn of last year DPD also introduced a new multicarrier solution, which enables DPD to process parcel labels that are used by other parcel services at the same time. This feature provides e-commerce customers with a simple option for integrating DPD as an additional service provider. Consumers also benefit, because in the form of DPD's Pickup parcelshops they are provided with a further 6,000 locations where they can hand in their return parcels. What all of these return parcels have in common is that as a rule they are back with the original shipper within 1-2 working days after they have been handed in at the parcel shop. This enables the retailer to process the returned goods and offer them for sale once more with a minimum of wasted time. A short time interval between the original sale and the possible resale is becoming increasingly important for DPD's retail customers.
International returns: 28,000 Pickup parcelshops by the end of the year
With its 'Pickup' parcel shop brand DPD has a uniform shop network throughout Europe which enables cross-border return shipping within a simple, harmonised system. For German e-commerce retailers this accordingly reduces the obstacle to entry to further European markets. At present the network contains 28,000 locations which are more closely integrated than is the case with any other service provider. The network already covers 23 countries. DPD is the only parcel service which is represented in so many countries with a uniform shop network. In addition to their uniform brand identity, the Pickup parcel shops also have an integrated infrastructure and IT facilities, which is highly important in particular for the convenient processing of returns in international online retailing.
The DPD app: a prize-winning benchmark in the parcels industry
The DPD app for Android and iOS is available on all mobile devices, including the Apple Watch. Proactive push messages provide consumers with continuous information about the status of their parcels. On the actual day of delivery the online map-based Live-Tracking function enables consignees to observe how their parcel comes ever closer to the front door. Thanks to a delivery forecast which is accurate to the last 60 minutes consignees know exactly when their parcel will arrive. Even during the delivery process the parcel can still be redirected on the basis of a range of flexible options. This all-round digitalised management of parcels using the DPD app has already been honoured with numerous prizes, including the eco Internet Award, the German Prize for Online Communication and the UX Design Award. DPD is working on the extension of its digital innovation leadership on the parcels market with a regular succession of new features such as digital tipping, service ratings and now the Return button.
Press contact
Image: Thanks to the Return button consignees can simply place a return order on their smartphone and then hand the parcel in at a Pickup parcelshop.