It was TDC Global this week and the Team attended this year's event once more to discuss last-mile technology, customer expectations, delivery logistics and supply chain strategy with industry leaders on a global scale. The London conference marked it's 10th anniversary, welcoming >1,300 delegates from over 30 countries across the eCommerce, technology and logistics space who joined a packed agenda with keynotes, thought-provoking presentations and interactive sessions across multiple streams.
As always, we have summarised our personal highlights below... #parcellove
3 FACTS OF THE DAY:
'Only 9% globally consider the cost of deliveries to be important.' - Andy Pickering, International Network Director, Royal Mail International
'91% of consumers in the UK use Amazon, in comparison with 56% globally.' - Ecommerce Foundation
'The unstoppable growth of eCommerce: from £96 billion on 2018 to £106.46 billion in 2019, which means that retail eCommerce will account for more than one fifth of total retail sales in the UK.' - UK Retail
3 FAVOURITE PRESENTATIONS:
Howard Saunders, Retail Futurist, with 'Brands On The Run' - presenting the evolution of brick and mortar retailers and the direction they are taking: Retail stores will become more experiential places, mentioning examples like Nike's innovation hub, Jack Daniel’s as well as Starbucks' pop-up stores in New York.
Patrick Gallagher, CEO City Sprint Group & Santosh Sahu, CEO On the dot - highlighting the 5 top reasons why a customer shops online with their favourite retailer: The prices are good (56%), I trust the brand (40%), they have a good returns policy (35%), superior online customer reviews (34%), they have fast reliable delivery (31%).
Carl Asmus, President and CEO, FedEx Cross Border on 'The Evolving eCommerce Ecosystem' - explaining how traditional transportation modes are evolving based on market demands, how eCommerce has altered the retail landscape and how marketplaces, integrators, platforms and last-mile providers all compete for the same customer.
3 LEARNINGS OF THE DAY
RETAILERS: Shift the outlook on shopping in general. People have changed from 'getting stuff' to receiving emotions and being taken on a journey; customers are not looking for stuff anymore they are looking for experiences...
LOGISTIC PLAYERS: Retailer and Logistic partners need a customer centric approach where everyone is collaborating on that journey. All players are serving the customer on different levels, as retailer and logistic players are all an extension of each other.
CUSTOMERS: Consume the entire logistics journey in a holistic view, not individual pieces.
OUR FINAL CONCLUSION:
The consumer experience journey will determine the ultimate success of a business in future, for which all stakeholders along that journey are responsible. On the 'business side' we have retailers, e-tailers, integrators, logistic platforms and logistic carriers. On the 'service side' there are two kinds of services, pre- and post-ordering. The pre-ordering includes fraud prevention, multiple language and payment options, currency acceptance up to customer service options leading to the post-ordering (or click) stage like refunds, returns offering, customer service post purchase, click&collect and delivery options. There are no signs that eCommerce will stop rising in the near future, so the combined services offered and a mutual collaboration across all players along the consumer experience journey are key for the continuous growth and customer loyalty.
Parcelly Team from left to right: Ernesto Diez, Senior Business Development and Operations Manager; Sebastian Steinhauser, Managing Director; Dan Nelson, Senior Business Development Manager
Thank you to Metapack #TDCGlobal for organising another fantastic event and providing an international platform for collaboration, innovation and thought leadership exchange. For additional conference insights, check our Twitter feed for live updates from the day (#TDC19)!
