DPD Germany has teamed up with HelloFresh, a leading international retailer of food boxes, offering customers guaranteed fast delivery and maximum transparency.
HelloFresh is the first customer to use DPD's customised combination of express transport and precise delivery time slot leveraging the DPD Predict service.
With the new tailor-made delivery solution, DPD Germany is targeting the fast-growing online food retailing sector and plans to offer the made-to-measure service also to other grocery shippers under the product name “DPD Food” from this summer onwards, adapting to their specific requirements.
HelloFresh supplies tasty and healthy meals directly to customers’ homes, with step-by-step cooking instructions and fresh ingredients. Customers can select between three and five meals per week, each with ingredients for two or four persons.
Founded in 2011, the start-up is now present in the USA, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, Austria, Switzerland and Canada. In the three-month period up to 30 September 2016, HelloFresh delivered 22.1 million meals to around 850,000 subscribers.
Outlining the new service, DPD said that one day prior to the delivery date chosen by the customer, HelloFresh sends the passively cooled boxes to DPD, which then delivers them the next day in express mode at the agreed delivery time – perfectly cooled and fresh. Temperature-controlled transportation in refrigerated lorries is not necessary thanks to the innovative cooling technology of the parcels.
Thanks to DPD's Predict service, consignees receive an SMS or e-mail on the morning of the delivery day informing them of the precise hour during which the shipment will arrive. In addition, they can track their shipment with DPD's online, map-based live tracking function.
If the consignee is not at home at the time of delivery, an alternative delivery is made in line with the consignee's instructions. For this purpose, many HelloFresh customers specify a secure place to deposit their food box (for example in the garage).
If, in spite of these options, the shipment does not reach the consignee in good time, DPD forwards the parcel to a welfare organisation which checks the condition of the goods and then distributes good quality groceries for a charitable purpose.
Moreover, from this summer, DPD’s new product for grocery shipping – DPD Food – will be available to more customers operating in the food segment. The new product combines DPD's Express and Predict services, offering fast delivery within a guaranteed delivery time slot.
This delivery forecast, which is accurate down to one hour, helps to ensure that the goods reach the consignee at the first delivery attempt. In addition, DPD makes sure that the parcels containing fresh products are only transported in a well-cooled condition. If it is not possible to deliver a shipment within a maximum of two days, the goods are immediately returned to the consignor. As an option, they can also be passed on to a partner charity, which can make use of good quality food.
"We are convinced that online grocery retailing has enormous potential – in particular when consumers receive their groceries quickly, conveniently and in a simple way", explained Andreas Ress, Director Sales & Customer Service at DPD Germany. "I'm delighted that we are now able to offer grocery retailers in e-commerce a high-quality industry solution which meets the requirements of quality-conscious shippers like HelloFresh."
Nils Herrmann, Vice President Operations at HelloFresh, added: "With fresh food in particular, it is essential for deliveries to be reliable and fast. In addition, we need a partner in this field who can match our level of flexibility and service. Our trial runs have demonstrated that features such as the one-hour delivery forecast and online, map-based shipment tracking ensure a high level of punctual deliveries – wherever our customers are in Germany."
According to market researchers GfK, food retailing in Germany accounts for almost half (48.5%) of all consumer spending. Although at present only 1% of this volume is generated via internet in Germany, the online sales of groceries are predicted to rise significantly from €1.1 billion in 2014 to an annual €7 billion by 2025.
During the same period, the share of “groceries and drugstore articles" segment in overall online retailing is expected to double from 8% to 16%. A study by the Bitkom digital association indicates that 28% of all German online shoppers have already ordered groceries on the Internet.
