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2 Nov 2000, France
Dear Dr. Ecommece:
Can you explain to me the delivery of PHYSICAL good bought on the internet by a consumer (B2C). Do you know if there are innovations in this subject??
Thanks,
CC
Dear CC:
Physical goods bought via the Internet are delivered by the same means as goods bought by mail order:
1. Regular post
2. Private courier service such as Federal Express, UPS, etc.
3. Hand delivery by business
4. Customer collects at a pick-up point
Any legitimate on-line shop will tell you what method of delivery it offers. Many will even give the consumer a choice.
The courier companies are using innovative technologies to make their delivery services more efficient. Likewise, businesses which handle delivery by themselves - such as on-line supermarkets which need to rush purchases from supermarket to customer - need to find ways to improve their efficiency. They are loosing money by the kilogram in their logistics: keeping costs reasonable on hand delivery of low value products is difficult.
Pick-up points sound boring, but I'm betting they'll be a winning solution in areas of high population density, such as Northwest Europe, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc. The idea is that instead of delivering products directly to the consumer's home, products are sent to a pick-up point convenient to the consumer's home or office. The consumer can then collect the goods at her convenience. This speeds up delivery and reduces costs. And if the consumer can collect her purchase on the way home from work, there is little inconvenience. Ready.be here in Belgium is an example of one company developing such a service.
All the best,
Dr. Ecommerce