DHL Parcel extends evening deliveries in Germany

DHL Parcel is expanding the reach of its new evening delivery services in Germany with the launch in Hamburg and Stuttgart. The company said the roll out follows a successful run in Cologne, the Ruhr area, Berlin and Munich under a pilot launched in 2012.

The service is particularly targeted at working professionals shopping from the Internet, but also families who are out during the day and do not want to wait at home for parcels to be delivered.

It allows customers to opt for two delivery windows, 6pm to 8pm and 8pm to 10pm, and can even request same-day delivery for some goods.

DHL said the evening service allows nearly 99% of all shipments to be delivered directly to the recipient first time, since customers have made a conscious decision to choose a particular delivery window.

The service is particularly suitable for the online purchase of foods and emergency goods where first-time delivery is crucial, DHL said. Among e-commerce retailers making use of the service already are AmbienteDirect, Tinte24.de and the mail-order pharmacy APONEO, as well as the Allyouneed.com grocery, which has already been using Deutsche Post DHL couriers.

For e-commerce merchants, the service means faster and more convenient delivery for their customers, strengthening customer loyalty, the company said.

DHL said it is continually developing its evening delivery network and hopes to expand to all metropolitan areas in Germany later this year.

“Our goal is to help new segments in e-commerce to emerge in Germany,” said Andrej Busch, the DHL Parcel chief executive in Germany. “We are firmly convinced that people are increasingly ordering their everyday necessities through the Internet — especially hygiene items, medicines and food. And we can provide the appropriate services for them.”