The Dispatch: New Year Edition

We’re kicking off the new year with predictions for 2023, and a look back at the predictions we made at the start of 2022. We've also wrapped up our best blogs of the last 12 months. In the news section, FedEx launched a consolidated returns service, a French startup wants your neighbour to hold your parcel, and January returns are rising year-on-year.

5 Changes We Predict in eCommerce Delivery & Returns 2023

They say if you do something three times, it’s a tradition, which makes this the now-traditional return of our annual predictions. This year, our forecasts take in cities around the world, international logistics giants, and specific services we expect to see in the market by the end of this year.

What articles did our readers like the most from 2022? Well we were clearly right to ask why parcel lockers were so popular because judging by the first three titles, 2022 was the year of the locker.

Why agnostic parcel locker networks aren’t everywhere

When Quadient announced the launch of its Parcel Pending locker network in the UK, we explored why carrier-agnostic lockers aren’t more common and the practical challenges that carriers would have to overcome to make them successful.

What does InPost’s annual report tell us about lockers and out-of-home delivery?

Back in April, InPost released a financial report filled with impressive stats: its APMs (Automated Parcel Machines) are 20-30% cheaper compared to the to-door average, with an NPS score of 75. We dug into the report to learn what’s working for the locker giant, what makes them different and what the future holds.

Why are parcel lockers so popular – and how do they compare to PUDO?

Parcel lockers dominated headlines in 2022 (and much of our Doddle Wrapped!) In this post, Bruno explores the explosion in parcel locker popularity and how they measure up to PUDO as an out-of-home delivery option.

Why the last mile is less sustainable than ever, and what we can do about it

Our 2022 sustainability white paper found that although great strides have been made in reducing carbon emissions in the last mile, it was responsible for more carbon emissions than ever before. Here, we delve into the causes and evaluate solutions ranging from electric delivery vehicle adoption to increased out-of-home delivery.

The returns quandary: 3 key lessons on returns

Doddle CRO Mike Richmond joined forces with Quadient and Last Mile Profits to discuss ecommerce returns, how different international markets handle them, and how carriers can enable merchants to deliver better returns solutions. Returns are a complex subject –?but these are the top 3 lessons that carriers must learn.

FedEx to launch consolidated returns service

FedEx will allow customers to return items without a shipping box or label through its Consolidated Returns service, creating a better returns experience for consumers while offering merchants preferential ‘less-than-truckload’ rates. It’s nice to see carriers are thinking more strategically about returns and its position in the reverse logistics market as return rates continue to rise.

UK post-holiday returns up 25% in 2023

New research indicates ￡1.5bn worth of products is now on its way back to retailers, in part thanks to many orders missing the crucial Christmas delivery window during a chaotic peak period for UK parcel carriers. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for some analysis of how badly that chaos has affected consumer perceptions of carriers…

PickMe start up to pay neighbours accepting parcels

French startup PickMe raised $3.7 million in funding to build a network where consumers can let neighbours receive parcels on their behalf, with the neighbours taking a small payment. We've?seen this before,?in our own business and with Zalando in Denmark. In theory, increasing first-time delivery and allowing local communities to support each other seems great - in practice it will be interesting to see whether PickMe can scale up the neighbours-as-network model.

• Swiss Post acquires reusable packaging business Kickbag GmbH
• IKEA France uses river transport and electric vehicles to deliver in Paris
• DPDHL buys 2,000 electric vans from Ford

• CHART: Participants reveal the reason why they choose Click & Collect for the following product (Centre for London)?
• AR try-on features can help brands?decrease return rates by almost 30%(Wavemaker)
• 82% of consumers?say they want companies to put people and the planet before profit (Talkwalker)
• Brands are losing a record average of $29 for every customer they acquire—a 222% increase?in the last eight years, with returns as a leading cost (Shopify)
• Consumers buy?over $22 more?on the median order with free shipping than with paid shipping (Shopify)
• Only 12% of consumers?claim they trust what brands say about their environmental policies and carbon footprint (OMD)
• Social commerce sales are projected to?hit $1.2 trillion by 2025?– accounting for 16.7% of ecommerce sales (Meltwater)
• 2 in 5 Gen Z’ers and 1 in 4 Millennials?choose to have their parcels shipped to a postal office, grocery store, click and collect or unmanned parcel (Klarna)

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