Now offering DPD Local shipping options!
I am constantly reviewing my shipping options to ensure the best service possible, from ordering right through to delivery. This can sometimes prove difficult for small businesses as most courier companies require high volumes to provide any form of competitive tariffs. Many of you opt for the Royal Mail postage options which is great and also helps support my local post office where Ran, Jess and the team there have been a massive help for me. But having a reliable courier option has been important to me for a long time too. I've been using UPS who have kindly offered me some fair rates considering the somewhat lower volumes my business was dispatching through them early on. But I have been experiencing a number of delays with their international customs clearance process, which I know has lead to a lot of frustrations for my international customers, so as a result I have been looking at new options to help resolve this. I spoke with a number of couriers, but DPD Local presented me with a pretty similar tariff, but with an improved service level so I have decided to open the account and make the switch the DPD!
What does this mean for you? Well perhaps the most helpful thing with DPD is their 1 hour delivery window, no waiting in all day wondering when the driver might arrive because the morning of your delivery you will receive a text and/or e-mail showing a 1 hour delivery window where the driver will arrive to make your delivery. If that's not convenient, then it's a simple few options to re-arrange, change address or leave in an authorised safe place. Easy to navigate, and a much more precise delivery window making day planning a lot easier for you. This also applies to international shipments now too which is awesome, due to the DPD international network being very well established.
For international customers, customs documentations are uploaded digitally, with no physical paperwork meaning there will be no delays due to lost paperwork etc.
One detail I did also like is that DPD Local have made some major improvements in their carbon footprint, becoming the UK's most sustainable delivery company. With my prior courier I was having to pay an extra amount per shipment to offset the Co2, which was something I was happy to do to help on my part, but DPD include that free of charge as well as going quite a few steps further. They have the largest electric delivery van network, 'micro-depots' to reduce emissions and cleaner deliveries, eco friendly packaging with their expresspak bags being made from recycled materials and can be recycled again too. There's loads more I won't bore you with here, but if you want to read more about why I chose DPD for reasons like this, you can do so HERE
Prices won't change much from my existing UPS rates, so there won't be any major changes there for you, it has still proved fairly difficult achieving super low rates with the numbers I dispatch but they have been great with what they've offered and to be honest, I feel the level of service and the convenience of their delivery times/windows will be loads better for you receiving shipments so that may well be more helpful right now.
Thanks for the support, and I hope this work in switching courier to a more efficient service will help get orders to you in a more convenient way!
James
What does this mean for you? Well perhaps the most helpful thing with DPD is their 1 hour delivery window, no waiting in all day wondering when the driver might arrive because the morning of your delivery you will receive a text and/or e-mail showing a 1 hour delivery window where the driver will arrive to make your delivery. If that's not convenient, then it's a simple few options to re-arrange, change address or leave in an authorised safe place. Easy to navigate, and a much more precise delivery window making day planning a lot easier for you. This also applies to international shipments now too which is awesome, due to the DPD international network being very well established.
For international customers, customs documentations are uploaded digitally, with no physical paperwork meaning there will be no delays due to lost paperwork etc.
One detail I did also like is that DPD Local have made some major improvements in their carbon footprint, becoming the UK's most sustainable delivery company. With my prior courier I was having to pay an extra amount per shipment to offset the Co2, which was something I was happy to do to help on my part, but DPD include that free of charge as well as going quite a few steps further. They have the largest electric delivery van network, 'micro-depots' to reduce emissions and cleaner deliveries, eco friendly packaging with their expresspak bags being made from recycled materials and can be recycled again too. There's loads more I won't bore you with here, but if you want to read more about why I chose DPD for reasons like this, you can do so HERE
Prices won't change much from my existing UPS rates, so there won't be any major changes there for you, it has still proved fairly difficult achieving super low rates with the numbers I dispatch but they have been great with what they've offered and to be honest, I feel the level of service and the convenience of their delivery times/windows will be loads better for you receiving shipments so that may well be more helpful right now.
Thanks for the support, and I hope this work in switching courier to a more efficient service will help get orders to you in a more convenient way!
James
