Metapack’s annual The Delivery Conference is the event that has been setting the agenda for the year ahead in ecommerce and delivery experience over the last decade. This satellite industry event brings together leaders in the e-tail and logistics. This year’s edition was held in the Royal Lancaster Hotel in the heart of London and had much to offer to attendees, from insightful presentations and keynotes to various panels, to the great opportunity to talk one-to-one on the exhibition floor.
The Parcelly team attended the event as silver sponsors and were incredibly excited to open this year’s conference season with TDC. It was great to exhibit alongside some of our partners: Relay, UPS, Gophr, Stuart and What3Words; as well as other industry peers: FedEx, DPDGroup, Evri, Amazon Shipping and many, many more.
The main aim of The Delivery Conference is to share insights, set and discuss main topics and precedents in the world of delivery for the upcoming year, make new connections, and connect leading vendors with retailers and carriers actively looking for new solutions and technologies. We couldn’t wait to discuss and showcase our two main solution verticals: Hyper-local warehousing and PUDO (Pick-up and Drop-off).
The day started with a great session on the upcoming trends of the industry in 2023 which was led by Richard Lim, CEO of Retail Economics and Andrew Norman, Managing Director of Metapack & ShipEngine. The session focused on unveiling the findings of the Ecommerce Delivery Benchmark Report which analysed data from 8,000 consumers and 700 merchants across 8 key international markets, uncovering how the industry has changed in 2023. One of the key findings that were revealed is that “consumers are becoming more conscious about consumption (about 79% of respondents) and are more are willing to consider out-of-home delivery to be more sustainable”. The day continued with several different presentations and panels. Among our personal highlights was a talk on the ‘Technology’s future in the final mile’ moderated by Alex Johnston-Smith, Manager of Market Analysis at Metapack, with participation of Jonathan Jenssen, CEO of our cherished partner Relay and Matthew Price, General Manager UK & Ireland for Uber Eats. The panel explored various tech solutions that are currently available to optimise last-mile delivery, as well as discussing what the future may hold in terms of innovation and adaptation to consumer needs. Also, how urban logistics can leverage PUDO locations for a broad range of services that help drive operational efficiency and sustainability goals.
The afternoon continued with further discussions of various hot topics in the e-commerce and delivery world, with many focusing on sustainability. We really enjoyed the Panel ‘Sustainable ecommerce: no longer a nice to have’, moderated by Tom Forbes, Chief Customer Officer of Metapack, with participation from Peter Blackburn, International Commercial Director of InPost, Sandra Roling the Director of Transport of The Climate Group and Fabian Warmdt, CEO & Co-Founder of glocally. The panellists discussed where the industry is now and where it needs to be heading in terms of its sustainability commitments. With a particular focus on consumers who are increasingly more interested in making greener choices, and the responsibility of the retailers and industry leaders to provide opportunities in response to that.
The day was coming to a close with a final panel on the ‘Roadmap for the Future of the Industry’, moderated by Eduardo Gulias, VP of Engineering at Auctane, with participation of Carolyn Park, Vice President Supply Chain at RS Group PLC, Craig Summers, Managing Director UKI of Manhattan Associates and Toby Hay, Managing Director e-commerce Marketing at FedEx Express Europe. The panel discussed all the major topics that have popped up throughout the day, from changing consumer needs, to sustainability, to innovation and automation, as well as others. It was an insightful conversation that gave all attendees a lot to consider for the upcoming year and beyond, as well as a perfect way to wrap up the day!
Top quotes from the day
"E-commerce innovation is being held back by the cost of delivery, if we can overcome the challenges within that, we'll see exponential growth and profits within the next couple of years." - Jonathan Jensen, CEO of Relay.
"We need to start helping customers to make more informed choice about delivery, embracing sustainability and various delivery options, that include out-of-home delivery, to reach our goals." - Peter Blackburn, International Commercial Director of InPost.
"The current delivery trends show that retailers need to make sure they are offering a variety of options that can suit not only their core customers but also new ones, as this is key in consumers' decision-making process. Especially considering the rapidly changing work and life habits that lead more people to embrace the out-of-home delivery options." - Richard Lim, CEO of Retail Economics
"Reducing mileage is key for sustainable future, we're asking questions like where the product is and how close can you get it to customers." - Carolyn Park, Vice President Supply Chain of RS Group PLC.
Sebatian Steinhauser, CEO & Founder of Parcelly:
“The Delivery Conference feels very special this year and it’s fantastic to meet everyone, partners, old and new contacts in person again. There is indeed a lot to discuss, as the market continues to be extremely volatile, impacted by a range of industry and global trends. Inspiring how Carriers and E-tailers address the challenges with innovation, digitalisation and technological progress. What an exciting time to be in logistic tech!”
Overall, Parcelly had a fantastic time at the event. A massive thank you to Metapack for producing this highly organised and quality event that continues to be a true satellite of the industry. We will definitely be back with you next year! #TDC2023
If you missed us there and would like to arrange a meeting with us, contact
