E-delivery from the UK report
E-delivery from the UK report
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Consumer Electronics and E-Commerce
Many consumers to pull back on gadget spending
Despite the jittery economy, eMarketer predicts that retail e-commerce sales in the US will reach USD 146 billion this year, up 14.3% over 2007.
However, some categories of retail e-commerce may not fare as well as others. Two traditionally strong online sales categories—computers and consumer electronics—may see a slowdown, based on a Piper Jaffray study of online buyers. Along with jewelry and watches, more respondents said they were likely to decrease spending on these categories than on any other.
That conservative approach will also affect total retail sales for those categories, judging by a similar study by The NPD Group. More than one-third of responding consumers said they planned to spend less on entertainment products and devices, compared with 18% who said they would spend more. Almost one-half said they would keep spending the same amount as last year. As a result, NPD said that sales of such products would slow slightly.
Seasonality is another important trend to watch. For online retailers, the holiday season is the best time for consumer electronics sales, according to Nielsen Online data. In November 2007, the average order size for consumer electronics hit an annual high of USD 135, a rise from October’s USD 127 average, settling to USD 132 in December. The rest of the year, Nielsen data shows the average order size hovered around USD 93 to USD 100.
By contrast, online sales of computer hardware peak in summer based on strong back-to-school demand. The category had monthly average online sales of USD 272 and USD 256 in October and November 2007, respectively. These sales were far larger than those in the consumer electronics category—but also far lower than the averages posted for computer hardware in July (USD 455) and August (USD 387).
While last year’s monthly sales patterns will likely hold true this year, exactly how much consumers will spend remains in question.
Read MorePostmen told to ditch bikes for trolleys (UK)
Postmen have been told to use trolleys instead of using their bikes, so their shoulders are not injured carrying heavy mail bags.
The move, which has been introduced in Lancashire, comes after one depot took delivery of 60 new bicycles.
All delivery offices in the county are taking part in the trial, which aims to reduce shoulder strain by replacing the bike with “high-capacity” trolleys, which can carry more mail.
But the move has not gone down well with all postmen and women.
One worker from the Leyland depot, where trolleys are currently being favoured over bikes, said: “We are absolutely baffled. They tell us it is health and safety because of the big bags we have on our shoulders but the bikes have saddle bags, so that makes no sense either.
“Can you imagine having to walk miles away from the office, all the time getting further and further away and then having to come back? They are going to be knackered.”
He said postmen and women on the routes chosen for the trial had been told they had “no option” other than to use the trolleys, despite Royal Mail having bought 60 new bikes last year.
The Royal Mail spokesman insisted that “the majority of staff” still had the option of using bicycles on their deliveries.
Read MoreLogistics hot spots go East
A European study shows Poland and the Czech Republic are new logistics ‘hot spots’
Retailers looking to improve their pan-European logistics networks should consider countries such as the Czech Republic and Poland, according to new research from supply chain consultancy Total Logistics www.total-logistics.eu.com and logistics property business King Sturge www.kingsturge.co.uk. The study shows that several eastern European countries have overtaken Germany in the race to be the location of choice for European businesses.
The study assessed the relative attractiveness of each country, taking into account such issues as warehousing costs, labour rates and road transport costs.
Kenneth Porter, partner at Total Logistics, said: “Working through a number of different scenarios was a fascinating exercise as it demonstrated the relatively poor performance of Germany from a warehousing perspective, given its central location and otherwise excellent reputation. Even when we factored out the comparatively high cost of labour in the country, Berlin, Bonn and Dusseldorf came out relatively poorly against other cities such as Prague, Warsaw, Katowice and Vilnius.”
Read MoreEthiopian State Minister urges Postal Service Agency to expand, improve services
Ethiopian Postal Service Agency could be one of the organizations that generate huge revenue in the country by expanding its horizons and providing efficient services, the state minister for transport and communications sector said.
Speaking at a discussion held between clients here, State Minister for Transport and Communications Sector David Ruach said the agency should increase its income by eliminating backward procedures and providing effective services.
The state minister who advised the agency to draw valuable lessons from agencies in other countries said the government would render its support to the agency.
Ethiopian Postal Service Agency General Manager, Yeiyogidey Gebreyohannes, on his part said the agency has begun implementing Business Process Reengineering (BPR) to effect reform in the agency.
According to him, the agency is currently providing efficient services through its 962 centers across the country.
It has also bought four medium size buses to begin offering delivery work, he added.
Besides the agency has been undertaking activities to expand money transfer activities, Cash for Africa and Express Money services across the country, the general manager concluded.
Post offices may be reopened under council subsidy plan (UK)
An agreement between the Post Office, the Government and local councils means that, in theory, every one of the 2,500 branches earmarked for closure under a cost-cutting plan could be saved.
Ministers ordered cuts to the network to reduce its GBP 150 million-a-year subsidy. However, councils have been looking for ways to avoid closures in the face of a growing public backlash.
The first post offices to be reprieved are in Essex, where the county council is expected to announce in the next 10 days that it has saved at least 15 of 31 branches closed this year.
The council has set aside up to GBP 1.5 million for the scheme. Some post offices will be reopened on the same premises, while pubs, cricket clubs, libraries and shops will become home to a post office in other cases.
The pilot has attracted interest from councils, with 100 local authorities contacting the Post Office. Half of those are already in talks to follow suit.
However, Alan Cook, the managing director of the Post Office, said the obstacles had been overcome. “We have got to the point where we have established a model that will work for local authority funding,” he said.
The news was welcomed by the postal watchdog. Howard Webber, the chief executive of Postwatch, said: “I feel qualified joy that there could be any extra post offices which offer more services to customers, providing it does not have a damaging impact on the post offices that are remaining in the network.”
Last year, the Government ordered Royal Mail, which owns the Post Office, to close 2,500 branches. By the middle of last week, 764 branches had been shut and 41 saved.
Earlier this month, post office managers told a Commons committee that a further 4,000 branches could be closed.
Deutsche Post CEO says in no rush on Postbank
Postbank owner, Deutsche Post, is in no hurry to reach a decision on a possible sale of the German retail bank, Chief Executive Frank Appel told Reuters in an interview.
‘I don’t feel any rush or haste. I will decide according to what is best for Deutsche Post, but also for Postbank,’ Appel said on Saturday during a trip to China with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Postbank, the country’s biggest retail bank, is up for sale and its owner has invited expressions of interest. Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters last week that if offers are good enough, Deutsche Post will push ahead with a sale within weeks.
Deutsche Bank has flagged interest in Postbank, as have Allianz and Commerzbank, which are making a joint approach. They would plan to swallow Postbank into a newly created group that would include Allianz’s Dresdner Bank.
Asked about the possibilities on the table for Postbank, Appel said: ‘We are sounding out options and are not participating in any speculation.’
Appel was participating in a three-day trip with Steinmeier to China, where Deutsche Post’s delivery arm DHL express is moving to strengthen its foothold in the fast-growing market.
Read Moretime:matters opens branch office in Singapore
time:matters is continuing its internationalisation strategy with the establishment of its first Asian branch in Singapore. More Asian locations are planned for the near future.
As the Asian headquarters, the new time:matters Asia Pacific Ltd. in Singapore is responsible for on-site customer service in East and Southeast Asia as well as in the Pacific area.
Following the establishment of European branches in Switzerland and Austria, Poland and the Netherlands, the new site in Singapore is time:matters’ first Asian branch office. Up to now the company has been represented locally by sales agents from the parent company Lufthansa Cargo in more than 20 Asian cities. The number of time:matters’ own offices on the Asian continent is to increase in the coming months.
With the establishment of the branch office in Singapore, time:matters is taking into account that the need for extremely fast, yet at the same time highly reliable logistics solutions is increasing worldwide – especially on intercontinental routes – which particularly applies to the Asia-Pacific region.
Manufacturing processes that are characterised by the increasing outsourcing of individual production steps as well as the continual reduction of storage, also cause logistics – especially in the Asia-Pacific area – to be faced with new challenges with regards to speed and punctuality.
time:matters said that it orients itself towards these requirements, whereby the focus in the Asia-Pacific region is currently on the car-supplier and the high-tech industries. The operator’s solutions for the transport of time-critical shipments, for example spare parts or electronic components, are particularly useful for other logistics service providers.
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