The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the world’s shift to online shopping. Even now the high streets are back open for business, lots of customers are taking to their laptops and smart devices to shop around for many of their purchases. And this change in our shopping habits is here to stay: by 2024, customers will likely make almost one-third of all retail purchases online.
Online shopping offers the convenience and choice that the high street often struggles to compete with. And the ever-growing popularity of online shopping has put countless e-commerce businesses in a position where they need to ensure their logistics providers can cope with the huge demand for parcel deliveries. As businesses have little control over their products once they’ve handed these over to carriers, it’s vital they use providers that uphold their reputations and deliver their parcels on time without damage.
If your e-commerce shop needs a dependable, transparent logistics provider, take a look at these three market-leading carriers.
Recommendation 1: ParcelHero
ParcelHero is popular with many larger e-commerce companies: it delivers to 220 countries, provides same-day collection and door-to-door services, and offers membership rewards so companies can save in the long run. ParcelHero works with many of the biggest couriers, such as UPS, DPD, and DHL. Its bulk-buying power allows the carrier to offer prices up to 60 percent lower than some competitor shipping prices. ParcelHero’s prices start at £2.94 for UK next-day delivery, £12.95 for global express delivery, and £27.97 for large parcel delivery. Much like all three of our provider recommendations, ParcelHero’s low prices can help your e-commerce business streamline logistics costs without sacrificing the quality of delivery services.
E-commerce businesses can further protect their deliveries by signing up for ParcelHero’s enhanced cover (on top of the standard £50 cover that is included in all shipments) and moneyback guarantee. This guarantee entitles businesses to a shipping refund in the unlikely event that a parcel doesn’t arrive at a customer’s delivery address within the expected timeframe.
Recommendation 2: Parcelhub
Up next, Parcelhub distributes more than eight million parcels on behalf of national and international retailers, brands, and wholesalers every year. These companies make the most of Parcelhub’s 20+ carriers and 600+ delivery services. Meanwhile, the carrier’s flexible and scalable logistics services integrate with several marketplaces and platforms to make life easier for businesses. And, each year, Parcelhub’s multi-carrier shipping software enables these companies to enjoy pooled volume discounts from selected carrier partners like Hermes, Collect+, UPS, DHL, DPD, and DX.
Businesses that use Parcelhub can make the most of four main services: multi-carrier management (UK or international shipping for parcels, packets, and bags), outsourced tracking support (and UK white-label e-commerce support), tailored fulfilment services (like e-commerce order fulfilment, print fulfilment, and picking and packing), and software-only shipping (large businesses manage and track shipments using Parcelhub API). E-commerce businesses can also use Parcelhub’s software to print postage labels.
Recommendation 3: Caribou
Our third carrier recommendation, Caribou, is a relatively young name in the logistics market. Thanks to its innovative approach to deliveries, the carrier has rapidly grown and become a top logistics provider for e-commerce businesses of all sizes. The multi-modal logistics provider has developed a fully transparent approach to deliveries, offering a proprietary carrier and marketplace management system that allows both businesses and customers to track their parcels all the way from order to delivery.
The market-leading system has allowed Caribou to deliver thousands of parcels throughout the pandemic, and the company has expanded to offer 100 percent coverage of the UK mainland, meeting the soaring demand for reliable deliveries. To achieve this growth, over the last 12 months, Caribou acquired C&D Transport, TM Couriers, Six Ten Logistics, Osborne Motor Transport, GLB Transport, and K2 Transport and Logistics. These acquisitions have allowed Caribou to:
- Expand and develop its domestic parcel network
- Increase its haulage capacities
- Provide more solutions for storage and warehousing
- Grow its same-day delivery offering
- Operate with a much wider fleet range.
Plus, the carrier integrates with all the top channels and marketplaces, meaning that e-commerce businesses throughout the UK find their logistics solution in Caribou.
Now part of the award-winning business group Inc & Co, Caribou has the tools to grow its delivery services yet further. Currently, the logistics company’s services span from freight forwarding, to domestic parcel and pallet networks, haulage, storage and warehousing, and same-day services. The logistics trailblazer is now set to enjoy the expansion tools and resources that Inc & Co has to offer, which will enable them to branch out as far as Thailand. As Caribou continues to grow, its transparent approach to logistics will continue to make the delivery process stress-free for both businesses and shoppers across the UK and beyond.
