British consumer delivery specialist myHermes has launched a new solution “Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)” enabling sole traders, SME retailers and online marketplace sellers to offer their customers a four-hour delivery time slot.
“By increasing consumer confidence and convenience, the new solution will help smaller independent retailers to secure repeat sales and grow their businesses,” Hermes said.
The free service is also available to Hermes Business Account holders and applies to all parcels booked via the myHermes website, no matter whether they are picked up by a courier or dropped off at one of 4,500 myHermes ParcelShops across the UK.
On the morning when the parcel arrives, recipients will be notified via e-mail about the delivery time slot.
This move follows the successful implementation of an ETA solution for Hermes’ retail clients early last year. The service is supported by 18,000 state-of-the-art handheld scanners, which were deployed across the courier and myHermes ParcelShop network last year, following an £18m investment. The 4G devices feature geo-fencing technology and a built-in camera.
Mike Antwoon, Sales Director at Hermes, said: “With consumers leading increasingly hectic routines and spending less and less time at home, it is important that delivery operators continue to innovate. The ETA solution not only provides the recipient with a valuable time window for delivery, but it also breeds consumer confidence, which is critical for sole traders and SMEs looking to grow their businesses.”
At the end of August, Hermes announced the full integration of its tracking solution with Google Assistant as the first parcel company in the UK, following the integration with Amazon’s intelligent personal assistant Alexa earlier this year.
Also in August, myHermes cut its prices by 40% in in a six-week special summer sale claiming this represents “the UK’s most cost-effective rates for sending parcels”. As part of the sale, which kicked off on Sunday 30th July and ran until Sunday 10th September, customers such as SME retailers, Internet power sellers and consumers could take advantage of savings of up to 40% when sending a package via a myHermes ParcelShop or booking collection via a courier.
