UPS Announced It Now Offers Later Pick Up Times in Europe
UPS announced this week it is offering later pickup times for many shippers across Europe.
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The service enhancement will give small business eCommerce merchants in nearly 52,000 postal codes across the continent more flexible access to UPS’s global logistics network.
Customers in those postal codes in Europe will now enjoy pickup times as late as 20:00 (8:00 PM), giving them up to eight additional hours of production and warehouse time.
UPS has also improved UPS Standard service in London and areas of southeast England, reducing shipping times to one day with UPS’s most economical ground-based service to and from Belgium and the south of the Netherlands.
In-country transit times have also been reduced in nearly 8,000 postal codes across Europe, making shipments faster for all UPS products.
“Flexibility is key for small businesses in Europe and they need to make sure that their customers get their orders when they need them. Extending our pickup times by up to eight hours not only gives small businesses more production and order fulfillment time but also allows them to focus on their passion and grow their business.”
Lou Rivieccio, president, UPS Europe
UPS Addresses Concerns of eCommerce Retailers
According to the 2017 UPS Europe Pulse of the Online Shopper study, 52 percent of online shoppers in Europe will abandon their cart if they feel the delivery time is too lengthy.
With later cut-off times and faster shipping using UPS’s economical ground-based UPS Standard service, businesses in Europe can increase customer satisfaction by getting products to their customers quickly and affordably.
The recent enhancements to UPS’s service are part of the company’s $2 billion investment in its European network and infrastructure through 2019.
Recent investments as part of this programme include the announcement of a €130 million facility in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, the opening of a £120 million hub London, and the construction of a $100 million hub in Paris.
READ MORE: UPS Opens New £120 Million London Logistics Hub
Because of these and other investments, customers can now reach over 80% of Europe’s population within two business days using UPS Standard, UPS’s most economical ground-based service.
Heated Competition in Europe
In Europe, DHL has the dominant market share in parcel delivery along with a host of regional package delivery couriers.
For UPS to be more than just a delivery courier for shipments from the U.S., it needed to expand its logistics network on the continent.
In 2014, UPS announced it would spend $2 billion to expand its logistics network by 2020. Since then this has included the purchase of Ireland-based Nightline Logistics Group and bringing more hubs online.
READ MORE: UPS continues to invest in Europe by acquiring Ireland-based Nightline Logistics Group
This service enhancement is just part of the overall strategy by UPS to improve European domestic operations to better compete with other larger couriers such as DHL, Hermes, TNT, and FedEx.
What do you think about UPS’s later pickup times in Europe? Please use the comments section below or head over our Facebook Group for Small Business eCommerce Sellers.
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Richard Meldner
Richard is co-founder of eSeller365. He has over 17 years of experience on eBay which includes tens of thousands of sales to buyers in over 100 countries and even has experience with eBay’s VeRO program enforcing intellectual property rights for a former employer. And for about two years Richard sold products on Amazon using Amazon FBA in the US.
To “relax” from the daily business grind, for a few weekends a year, he also works for IMSA as a professional race official.