Last month Parcelly Team attended Parcel+PostExpo in Frankfurt. At this year's event, we discussed our tech solutions in last- and first-mile logistics, cross-docking, hyperlocal-fulfilment and everything around PUDO. The three days Frankfurt conference was organised by Universal Postal Union (UPU), the first in-person conference since 2019 for “absolute unrivalled access to postal industry leaders from across the world with a unique opportunity for peer-to-peer discussion of the latest trends and important developments”. The conference was packed with numerous presentations and panel discussions from industry-leading speakers, and showcased the latest trailblazing technology within the logistics industry that “push the postal services forward”.
The conference was jam-packed with insights from industry leaders that shed light on the innovations and the latest developments in this space. A lot of conversations were happening around sustainability in logistics, especially considering that most companies have now set their own decarbonisation targets. Gaylord Booto, the Sustainability Strategist at Amazon Web Services (AWS), highlighted that “there’s no healthy growth under an unhealthy climate” which highly resonates with our vision at Parcelly.
Source: Parcelly Limited (2022)
At the centre of the logistics discussions, are, of course, consumers. Many talks have focused on evolving consumer preferences when it comes to e-commerce and delivery. For example, Valentin Stefan, the CEO of Romanian Post, highlighted that “last-mile delivery solutions are moving from post offices to parcel lockers”. With further conversation happening around the issues of returns and their optimisation. Considering that nowadays consumers tend to have less office hardware in their homes, whilst buying more than ever online, Hugh Craigie Halkett, the Managing Director and Founder of Stamp Free Ltd UK, talked about the struggle consumers have with return labels, saying that they “don’t want labels anymore” and would much rather use technology-enabled solution for their returns, rather than tradition labels and post.
Many topics and solutions have been discussed throughout the conference, but the main takeaways were the following:
INDUSTRY: More than ever, collaboration is essential to address the increasing pressure from the consumer while making the post and logistics ecosystem more efficient and sustainable.
TECHNOLOGY: Embracing new cutting-edge technology solutions like automation, last-mile optimisation (PUDO and lockers) as well as data analytics for continuous improvement and action on customer expectations are the only way to adjust to the recent boom and equally move the industry forward.
CONSUMERS: The product is no longer the consumers’ priority, the experience after they’ve made the purchase is.
SUSTAINABILITY: Sustainability has now become one of the greatest concerns for consumers - companies’ practices around sustainability have become as important as their products.
Source: Parcelly Limited (2022)
With digital disruption coming to the forefront of the post and logistics industry, innovative technological solutions should be embraced now more than ever. Integrating cutting-edge technologies in the ecosystem would allow for more carbon-free deliveries and greener logistics, scalable first mile, optimised and absolute customer-centric last mile, solutions that address the labour shortage and a simpler and more transparent supply chain. In addition to these achievements, technology solutions can help the industry adjust to the ever-accelerating boom in E-commerce and meet the demands of the “omniconsumers”. To sum up, advanced digital innovations and technology are the future of the logistics ecosystem for its holistic improvement and growth.
Source: Parcelly Limited (2022)
Overall, Parcelly had a fantastic time at the event. A massive thanks to Parcel+Post Expo organisers, UPU, for producing such an insightful and innovative event. We equally thank all attendees for making Parcel+Post Expo one of our annual highlights of 2022.
We will be back at future events to share our thought leadership and tech solution!
If you missed us there and would like to arrange a meeting, contact
