DHL Global Forwarding expands ecommerce fulfillment
Deutsche Post DHL’s air and ocean freight division, DHL Global Forwarding, has been ramping up its supply chain services for ecommerce companies in the Americas. The logistics giant says for the past 12 months it has received a surge in customer requests for a variety of fulfillment capabilities to support ecommerce, mobile and direct-to-consumer sales.
DHL said its customers wanted more value-added services at origin, while there was also more demand for warehousing as well as distribution.
The company has been strengthening its International Supply Chain (ISC) product and building its existing global supply chain infrastructure in response.
DHL’s ISC includes everything from purchase order management, supplier management and origin logistics services to transport, visibility and account management.
Ricardo Carrion, senior director of business development for ISC, said: “Our customers have requested a partner that can harmonise all their order fulfillment requirements on to one operating platform.”
DHL said its ISC team has designed solutions for various sectors geared towards recent changes in consumer purchasing trends.
The strengthening of the ISC service comes just ahead of the busy holiday season, which saw 15% growth in online commerce last year in the United States, with mobile commerce playing a “growing role” according to DHL.
As more demand shifts from brick and mortar stores to online shopping, DHL said multi-channel fulfillment becomes more critical to the success of retailers.
Jin Choi, director of strategic development and marketing within the ISC unit, said: “Retail, as well as other industries, seek consistency, delivery options, and convenience for its customers at any point-of-order.
“We are expanding our capabilities to meet these needs, as well as help those new e-tailers navigate the supply chain and establish a distribution system that works most efficiently for them.”