White paper E-commerce Trends

5 important
e-commerce trends
This is how you claim the “last mile”.

What to expect from this
white paper?
This white paper contains the subjects that matter most to you as a
successful online entrepreneur. There are many opportunities for you
and your fellow online retailers (e-tailers). Online sales is increasing
rapidly. As an entrepreneur, it is important that you understand what
your customers consider to be important.
Several different subjects are covered in this document. These include: market developments, delivery
and convenience. The central themes throughout the white paper are five e-commerce trends, with an
emphasis on providing convenience to those who buy online.
Furthermore, we provide a report for each speaker of the first edition of the Benelux Masterclass for
e-logistics. During this valuable training, e-commerce gurus provide their opinion about the current state
and future of e-logistics.
The objective of this white paper is to encourage and challenge entrepreneurs. There are many opportu-
nities out there, but it is not always clear how to seize those opportunities. PostNL hopes you can make
use of this white paper to assist you in taking advantage of these opportunities.
Five important e-commerce trends: This is how you claim the “last mile” to the customer2 / 28

Vijf belangrijke e-commercetrends: zo claimt u de ‘last mile’ tot aan de klant3 / 29
Table of contents
Online shopping keeps on growing 5
TREND #1 Transparency 7
TREND #2 Omnichannel 9
TREND #3 Convenience 12
Sustainability and the environment 16
Technology 19
The last mile in 2025 22
Benelux Masterclass e-logistics 23
Tom Van Woensel - Digital transformation in transport and logistics 24
Lecture #2 Victor Peters - PostNL in a changing world of e-logistics 26
Chris Pietermans & Christoph De Preter - E-logistics: operational burden? 28
Nicole Rijkens - The future of e-logistics 30
Cis Scherpereel - E-logistics as a top-class sport 32
TREND #5
TREND #4
Lecture #1
Lecture #5
Lecture #4
Lecture #3
TRENDS
Lectures
TRENDS
3 / 28Five important e-commerce trends: This is how you claim the “last mile” to the customer

PostNL Extra@Home: more than delivery 34
PostNL Pakketten: Benelux market leader 35
PostNL International: 360° view 36
PostNL Pharma & Care: The GDP specialist 37
Mikropakket: For all your high-end distribution 38
Want to know more? 39

PostNL #1
PostNL #2
PostNL #3
PostNL #4
PostNL #5
4 / 29 Five important e-commerce trends: This is how you claim the “last mile” to the customer

Online shopping keeps on
growing
The Becommerce Market Monitor has shown that no less than €9 billion
was spent online in 2016. Thanks to 8.4 million Belgians shopping online,
all e-commerce records were broken once again in 2016.
High pressure placed on logistics processes
According to figures from the Becommerce Market Monitor, the online market grew by 10 percent in
2016 compared to 2015 . The food industry in particular has seen an increase of more than 135%. This
growth creates new logistical demands.
The courier becomes the face of your business
The more consumers order online, the less likely they are to see a service assistant in a shop. This
important role is transferred to the courier. The time of delivery is often the only time a customer comes
into physical contact with the store. It makes sense that retailers are increasingly taking a critical look at
the couriers who represent them, as well as the service offered by couriers in the home.

Convenience for customers
Consumers take a more critical look at orders, and they place more demands on the delivery of a
package. At one time, receiving products at home was a unique aspect offered by a retailer, and the
customer had to adjust to the delivery times prescribed by the retailer; but now the customer is used to
more flexible service. For example, you can now receive your order the next day if you order before 11.00
pm. But you can even receive your order on the same day, or a day of your choice.
The consumer is expecting more and more. The delivery of a washing machine into the home is very
often not enough. The courier must also install and check it. The same is true for other products. A
courier must set a bicycle to the correct height, or set up a TV set. Younger generations, Y and Z, take this
level of convenience and service for granted when shopping online.
E-commerce trends and the influence of logistics
“Convenience” is one of the 5 major e-commerce trends, and you can read all about in this white paper.
You will also discover tips and examples concerning logistics and delivery for all these trends. These are
subjects and examples that will help you as a retailer or e-commerce entrepreneur to be smarter, more
efficient, and better than your competitors when handling the last mile, the last few kilometres to the
consumer’s door.

Vijf belangrijke e-commercetrends: zo claimt u de ‘last mile’ tot aan de klant INHOUDSOPGAVE6 / 296 / 29 Five important e-commerce trends: This is how you claim the “last mile” to the customer

TREND #1
Transparency
Transparency is all about telling a unique story. With real examples,
openness and honesty. Consumer opinion, influenced hugely by
technology, social media and online reviews, plays a massive role
nowadays.
A company should present themselves, warts and all, and be honest. If the image does not fit, the
consumer will punish the company faster and harder than ever before. Transparency means not hiding
anything and being open and honest when something goes wrong. It also means being able to identify
when something goes wrong and then providing clear communication about the solution. And if
possible, converting a potentially negative experience into something positive.
Reviews and ratings on your own site
Clear communication and business processes can give you a competitive advantage. Measuring and
understanding your customer’s opinion of your company is of great importance. Being open about this
by giving the data that has been measured back to the consumer is also of great importance. This is the
reason allowing consumers to place reviews on your website can be very interesting.

INHOUDSOPGAVE
Responding to negative reactions
Some webshops actively request customers to leave a review. The site visitor can also respond to
reviews, ask previous buyers questions, and assess whether a review was useful or not. Negative reviews
appear on your site, which means you can respond to them immediately and offer solutions. You might
even be able to go so far as removing items from your selection that do not meet the needs of your
customers. To encourage customers, you can choose to distribute discount codes for writing a review,
whether they are positive or not.
Transparency in the last mile
Of course, you also need to provide transparency in the last mile. Consumers are frequently disappointed
about the logistics. Usually, this is due to a lack of (timely and correct) information. Consumers want the
best insight and clear communication. They don’t only want to be able to choose when they place an
order, they also want clear and up to date information about when the delivery of the order will take
place.
It is not always convenient for the consumer to be required to go to the website of a carrier. Bol.com has
developed a smart solution for this by making it possible to track packages directly on their website.
PostNL provides real-time information to facilitate this. Consumers can log in and view the information
directly from Bol.com. The system is very user friendly.
Does anything ever go wrong? Be honest!
And if something does go wrong that would result in a delay to the delivery date/time, just be honest. Do
not make up an excuse, but simply explain that the product is out of stock, has been damaged during
packaging, or it did not fit in the delivery vehicle. At the same time, explain what you are going to do
about it. Or even better; exceed expectations. Send a bunch of flowers, reimburse the shipping, or offer a
discount code. In any case, whatever you do, ensure your message is clear.
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TREND #2
Omnichannel
As a retailer, you would probably like to offer your products throughout
the country. You may also like to promise nationwide delivery for all your
sales channels. This is called omnichannel. Consumers use a combination
of online and offline channels during the purchasing process.
They do the same when getting to know or comparing products, and this may also be true during the
return or review process. It is quite a challenge to ensure every part of your process, both online and
offline, runs as smoothly as possible. If it does not, you run the risk of revenue loss or even bankruptcy.
Retailers who do not have their omnichannel process running well are falling by the wayside.
The customer experience must always be the same, wherever they
are.
Offer the same service for all your channels; this is often where things go wrong. In a shop, the
salesperson can provide advice, answer questions, and contribute ideas. In the webshop, opportunities
to support the customer are much more limited. Now we are getting more orders online, the role of the
courier is becoming more important.

Bricks and clicks: complementary or not?
A physical store that expands with a webshop. With the arrival of e-commerce, this is the most logical
order of event. However, there are also shops that do the opposite. They complement their online
webshop with physical sales outlets. It shows that “bricks and clicks” do not always have to be an either/
or situation. They can also complement each other superbly. Those who decide to start with only an
online presence, make up for the absence of physical sales staff by making instructional/product videos.
This allows the customer to experience the “seller’s” expertise at home. These videos can be placed on
both the relevant product pages and, for example, on YouTube. They provide a useful source of
information for the (potential) buyer.
Achieving a responsive chain
When it comes to logistics, the customer’s satisfaction must be the same across all sales channels. A
webshop should preferably choose to have both the products purchased by consumers in the store, and
products purchased online, to be delivered by the same partner. This means that all kinds of things must
be the same, such as delivery times (periods) and delivery options. But the same service must also be
offered for all order types. It ensures the customer receives unambiguous communication.
In a traditional supply chain, products from the manufacturer flowed to wholesale warehouses, through
the retail Distribution Centre (DC) to the store or the e-commerce warehouse (DC) (see Figure 1 on the
next page). For omnichannel logistics, you will be dealing with a logistics chain that contains many
aspects that are connected (see Figure 2 on the next page). This makes logistics solutions much more
diverse and more extensive. The only possible solution is to merge your “retail DC” and your
“ecommerce DC” or your store inventory. Fortunately, there is more and more software on the market
that makes the process easier. For example, software that supports actual (real-time) data. This real-time
data will help you keep track of your inventory in different locations.

Producer
Wholesale
Retail DC
E-commerce DC Store
Home delivery
Producer
Wholesale
Retail DC
Store
Home delivery
Crowd logistics
Another development we are seeing is that of crowd logistics, where companies use the crowd to enable
omnichannel logistics. For example, same day delivery in a big city. Consumers and small merchants not
only take care of holding stock, but also the delivery of the items. Newly-established companies
(startups) that make this possible for consumers include PackagePeer, and the Dutch company Trunkrs.
These two companies make it possible for people to earn money by receiving packages for others.
Platforms such as the Norwegian Nimber and the American Roadie help individuals create shipping
orders that other people can then accept and deliver.
Figure1
Figure 2
E-commerce DC

TREND #3
Convenience
The convenience factor. This certainly applies to the younger
generations Y (born after 1980) and Z (born after 1990). These
generations are no longer using their computer for online shopping, they
are using their mobile or tablet. They do this easily from their couch, or
on the train to work. It takes no more than a few swipes for those cool,
white Nike trainers to be in their home. Why would these consumers
make it hard for themselves when they can make it easy?
Rather lazy than tired
Today, consumers would prefer to be lazy than tired. Companies are getting involved with initiatives that
offer convenience, hoping to win market share. Amazon introduced the Dash button. This is a button
with a Wi-Fi connection that you stick somewhere in your house - on the washing machine for example.
If you run out of detergent, simply press the button. The next day (or maybe even the same day), you
will receive a new box of laundry detergent. Dash buttons are now available for many types of products;
from coffee to nappies, and from toothpaste to day cream.

iLost: search engine for items that are lost and found
Imagine you leave your jacket on the bus. You will then have to call the bus company and ask if they have
found your jacket. If this is the case, you have to go to the bus company to pick up your coat. iLost, the
search engine for items that are lost and found, makes it a lot easier. The bus company posts your coat
on iLost. If you find your coat, or any other lost item on iLost, someone will even bring it to your home.
Subscription commerce
Going to the store for shopping is quite old fashioned. Nowadays, for a limited service charge, you can
have someone else pick up the groceries, after which you simply need to pick them up at the local pickup
point. Thanks to specially designed refrigeration boxes, PostNL can now deliver your deep-frozen goods
or fresh vegetables direct to your home.
Companies such as Marley Spoon make a weekly delivery of products in a box from which you can make
dinner, including recipes. You don’t even have to think about what you’re going to eat. This is really easy,
no? These types of initiatives (subscription commerce) will be seen more often in ever more industries.
You can now subscribe to almost everything.
Flexibility is more important than speed
If you want to win the new generation of consumers, you will also have to respond with your logistics.
This does not only mean offering faster delivery times, but also offering extensive delivery times. The
customer wants you as a seller to offer more flexibility. The consumer wants to decide where and when
you deliver the product. This means you will have to deliver on Saturdays and Sundays. Do not forget
about delivery in the evenings. And consumers are not afraid to change their minds. This means the
customer may not even be home. In this case, give the customer the opportunity to change the delivery
time.

It is becoming increasingly common for orders to consist of items with different characteristics, delivery
times and delivery costs. It is becoming more necessary to ship products from different locations. When
the consumer orders a combination of items, he will appreciate receiving the order in its entirety.
Volume distribution by price differentiation
What you probably also see happening is companies affecting consumers’ behaviour with delivery costs.
There are webshops that allow customers to pay more for home delivery than delivery at a pickup point.
Some webshops even ask more for Saturday deliveries, even if this is a free service offered by the
logistics service provider. This is called volume distribution by price differentiation.
Experts take care of the delivery or installation
You can also offer more convenience to the customer in terms of the delivery service. For example, by
hanging and setting up the TV, installing the washing machine and running a test wash.
You can also offer the adjustment of a bicycle to the correct height and explaining exactly how it works.
In these examples, the courier really is the face of your business. He is also often the only “employee”
that the customer actually sees and speaks to. In this regard, the Extra@Home department took extra
care of the training of its employees.
Ron Johnson, former head of retail at Apple, fully understands this. He launched webshop Enjoy in 2015.
Enjoy does not concentrate on price, but on excellent offline service. If you order a drone from Enjoy, or a
GoPro or an intelligent thermostat, an “Enjoy Expert” will deliver this to the customer. The expert knows
everything about the gadget, and will install and explain it.

Large products: service and storage
There are also plenty of opportunities for the delivery of large goods. You have the option to pick up the
set of garden furniture and barbecue in October that you sold to the customer in May. You can store this
in your warehouse for the winter. At the same time, you can deliver ski equipment and the stored snow
shovel back to the customer.

TREND #4
Sustainability and environment
Modern consumers find it increasingly important that companies
produce sustainable, clean and local products. Just look at the popularity
of the electric car. There are many warnings about global warming and
the hole in the ozone layer. People are paying more attention to the
environment than ever before.
Peer-to-Peer and usage versus ownership
Initiatives that stimulate use instead of ownership are popular. Cambio is a great example of this
You take out a subscription with this car service, and you have access to a car at any time should you
need one. However, the car is not your property. Also other exchange initiatives (Peer-to-Peer) such as
LATVIAN do well. This allows people in one region to exchange goods or services. Companies such as
IKEA that consider sustainability to be an important factor are seeing their popularity grow rapidly. The
consumer feels good if they can “do something green”.

The last green mile
But however green you are in your production processes, it often goes wrong in the last few kilometres
of a delivery to the consumer’s door (the last-mile). You will find plenty of online discussions and
complaints about the amount of plastic packaging that businesses use. For example, to protect products
during transport. These packaging materials often simply disappear into the rubbish bin. It’s the same
story with products that are slightly damaged, but that are actually still fine.
There is still a lot of work to do in the area of recycling. The Scandinavian Repack plays a clever role here
with reusable packaging. Consumers who buy something via connected webshops can return the empty
packaging through the post when they have received the product purchased online. In return, they
receive a voucher that they can redeem with all Repack retail partners.
Sustainable delivery
The number of transport movements in the city is increasing rapidly. This is the result of the enormous
increase in the number of online orders. More traffic also means more cars, smaller cars and more
exhaust gases. Of course, this is not good for the environment. However, green areas are also springing
up in more and more countries and cities. These are areas where only clean cars may drive, where fewer
cars have access, or where cars are not welcome at all.
How do you achieve sustainable delivery? As long as you do not consider it to be important enough, do
not place it high on the agenda and do not make a budget available, not much is to be expected. This first
step is particularly important. Furthermore, it is necessary to examine, understand, try out ideas and
carry out tests. Happily, this is already happening. PostNL is experimenting with bicycles and ecological
vehicles.

Delft City Logistics
PostNL is also carrying out research and conducting experiments. Delft City Logistics is one of the new
initiatives in the Netherlands. The objective of this initiative is to partner with the city of Delft in order to
reduce the number of transport movements and to reduce inconvenience to the residents.
As part of the City Logistics project, PostNL combines the goods flows on the outskirts of the city. The
delivery of the packages is carried out at a time the consumer (the recipient) wants.
Other carriers are able to deliver or retrieve their goods at the City Logistics Centre, which is located just
outside the city. Between 7:00 am and 8:00 pm, City Logistics takes these goods into the city using small
electric cars. Returned products are also picked up.
Give the consumer insight and choice
Larger groups of consumers don’t mind making a sacrifice if the product they are buying is less harmful
to the environment. Every year, tens of thousands of air travellers make use of the opportunity to travel
in a climate-neutral way.
Give the customer a choice when ordering online. Provide the customer with insight into the
environmental impact of choosing a certain delivery period or a certain delivery method. Perhaps
consumers will then accept receiving an item at a later time.

TREND #5
Technology
Technology and software are playing an ever increasing role in daily life.
People are walking around with smartphones, tablets and other portable
devices. More and more stuff is becoming “smart”. Smart thermostats
and the “smart TV” have now been established for example, but there is
more. Think of a smart door bell. This will allow you to remotely see who
is at the front door. Another example is the smart door lock. This works
with a fingerprint and opens via your iPhone. Finally, there are also smart
ovens, refrigerators, lamps and washing machines.
Internet of Things
More and more devices have an internet connection and are collecting information. They can also
communicate with each other, and with people. There are also many kinds of platforms that help
connect all this equipment. The futuristic Internet of Things will allow different devices to be linked to the
internet, through which they can communicate with one another.

Subscription service for smart washing machines
The Dutch startup, Bundles, has developed a subscription service in the Netherlands for smart washing
machines. You “lease” the washing machine for a fixed amount per month, which includes maintenance
and service costs. If your washing machine breaks down, you get another one. The subscription also
includes an app that provides insight into your usage and washing costs. You also get personal tips on
sorting your wash, loading the machine, and how to remove stubborn stains. Of course, you can order
new detergent through the app as well. This startup therefore addresses several trends.
Augmentation and Virtual Reality
Would you like to quickly see how a new colour would suit your wall, or how a new couch would look in
your living room? This is possible with Augmented Reality. For example, using Augmented Reality
glasses and special software to adapt the picture you see through the glasses, you can look at a scene
and additional products or colours will appear in the image. Many retailers have developed Virtual
Reality programs (apps) for smartphones and tablets. This allows the consumer to “see” what the
product will look like when it is in the living room. With the advent of Virtual Reality glasses such as the
Oculus Rift and Google Cardboard, people are gaining access to a full 3D experience. Anyone who wants
to buy a new couch for their living room can walk around with the glasses on and see what the couch will
look like.
Technology provides logistics impulse
In the future, almost all products will be connected via Wi-Fi. Old appliances are thrown away after a few
years, and everyone wants just smart products. This development, such as the Internet of Things, can
have a big impact on the logistics chain. At the moment, companies often know where products are. For
example, in a warehouse, on the road or with a customer. This is due to the fact that couriers scan these
items. If a smart device has a unique signal, there is no need for the courier or warehouse operator to
scan it any more. This development can make it much easier for the companies to see how many articles
they have in stock.

Set up technology for better service
Technology will also have a greater effect on the delivery service. Currently, customers can express
whether they are satisfied or not via their tablet. At PostNL Extra@Home, we do this in order to follow the
service provision closely. Wouldn’t it be great if the customer was able to communicate with customer
service during the delivery or installation? For example, via Augmented or Virtual Reality.
Real-time information
The customer would prefer to know exactly where his package is located, and when the courier is due to
arrive. In order to give consumers this kind of real-time information, you need to know exactly where
your vehicles are. Technology can take care of that.
You always need to know what task your courier or installation technician is doing. Technology helps him
to forward relevant information regularly. For example, concerning the status of deliveries, installations
and assembly jobs. This is now already possible with a tablet or a smartphone. In the future, this might
be through a speech-driven personal assistant in a smartwatch worn on the wrist.
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The last mile in 2025
The five trends described in this white paper will play a major role in the
world of retail and e-commerce, today and in the future. These are trends
that will have a huge impact on the way companies deliver products, now
and in the future. They will also have a large effect on how entrepreneurs
interact with their customers.
Looking ahead to the year 2025, it is clear to see that the consumer will be deciding what should be done
more than ever. The consumer has complete control over the delivery time, the delivery location and the
delivery mode. He also knows exactly where the order is located. Logistics partners will also offer many
more services in 2025 as part of completing the delivery. Examples of these include subscriptions, a
measuring service, installation and assembly, maintenance, etc.
The logistics partner will not necessarily take care of these services himself. Preferably, he will make use
of service partners that are the best in their field. If the logistics partner is smart, he will have built up a
network of these types of partners in ten years from now. Which means he will be able to take all of this
work off your hands. From storage and measuring, up to delivery. And from installation to excellent
after-sales service.
The technology we use, and the information we collect, is of great importance. There is a very good
chance that logistics service providers always know more about routes, locations and buildings in which
a delivery must take place. If there is sufficient information, the carrier will know whether a couch will fit
through a stairwell or not. Companies collect and store this type of information. They share the
information with partners and consumers. This ensures the delivery and additional services get smarter,
cheaper, more environmentally friendly and easier.

Benelux Masterclass
E-logistics
On Thursday, June 1, PostNL organised the first Benelux Masterclass
e-logistics in collaboration with the Antwerp Management School.
This high-quality training gave e-tailers insight into logistics within the
e-commerce sector.
The following speakers took the floor:
• Tom Van Woensel - Digital transformation in transport and logistics
• Victor Peters - PostNL in a changing world of e-logistics
• Chris Pietermans & Christoph De Preter - E-logistics: operational burden or competitive differentiator?
• Nicole Rijkens - The future of e-logistics
• Cis Scherpereel - E-logistics as a top-class sport

Lecture #1
Tom Van Woensel -
Digital transformation in transport and logistics
Professor Van Woensel talks about a recent retail study that focusses on
the best way to manage and predict inventory. The study was carried out
with the help of a large Dutch supermarket concern over a period of 76
weeks.
While the automated SKU forecasting proved accurate, store managers still sometimes decided to
deviate from these forecasts. This for a variety of ‘human reasons’ such as having more time in the
beginning of the week or the impromptu ordering of a new promotion.
Big data in combination with logistics was also discussed by Professor Van Woensel. Here he remarked
that big data can be very useful for the further development of logistics. These challenges need to be
addressed first however – there is a lack of common standards, no unified data architecture, and unclear
arrangements concerning data ownership and regulation. Also as of yet we still do not have the proper
analytical tools for Big Data analysis tailored to the logistics sector.

Key take aways
• Automated SKU forecasting for retail is useful & accurate but the human factor needs to be
addressed as well.
• In order to fully benefit from Big Data we need to adapt it’s models and practices to the logistical
sector.

Victor Peters -
PostNL in a changing world of e-logistics
The world is changing ever faster. To illustrate this, Victor gives
examples of what happens today in 60 seconds: 674 parcels delivered
by PostNL Benelux; 69.444 hours of Netflix watched; €1900 spend at
bol.com; 972.222 Tinder swipes; 20.800.000 Whatsapp messages and
150.000.000 emails sent – in just one minute, every minute of the day!
He then also gives us some insights into how e-commerce will change and what the effects will be on
parcel delivery and logistics in general.
• E-commerce penetration in 2035 will be 50-75%, meaning a doubling of parcel volumes in 5 to 10
years.
• The online shopping audience is growing as well, older people don’t shop online as much but young
adults do and will do so more and more. We will also order a greater variety of goods online;
• In relation to this delivery times will change and vary as well – purchases that are not so urgent can for
example be delivered once a week, other, more urgent items can then be delivered ‘now’ by, for
example, drones;
• Asian influence on e-commerce will be huge, surpassing US and UK. WeChat, an app similar to
Whatsapp, has 1 billion users and 31% of its users also use WeChat to shop. Imagine if this would
start to happen with Whatsapp users – another great increase in parcels to be delivered.
Lecture #2

• Smartlocks , better info and control, codifying receiver preferences are 3 changes to parcel delivery in
the future that PostNL is currently developing within the Benelux.
Key take aways
• Change is faster than ever, in order to survive you must “Pilot, Fail, Learn, Adapt, again & again and
again…(PostNL examples are Food Delivery, Airport Baggage Service and the use of E-Bikes for
parcel delivery in cities).
• The growth of e-commerce has not, by far, reached it’s peak yet. With this growth customers will also
demand more options and flexibility. You need to face up to these challenges as a webshop owner.

Lecture #3
Chris Pietermans & Christoph De Preter -
E-logistics: operational burden?
BME is an intermediary between webshops, delivery partners and the
consumer; they specialize in e-fullfillment services. In their presentation
they share some insights into making e-logistics a success and not let it
be a burden.
Best of Breed Delivery – this means that you may want to use different delivery partners for certain
types of products or services; you select the partner that delivers best, even if that means you need
more than one to suit your range of products/services.
Custom brand experience – as an example BME talks about what they do for their customer Scapa;
they fold their clothing a certain way in the warehouse, put rose petals in the box, all for a unique
opening experience of the parcel.
Scalability – you need to prepare for busy periods and be able to scale up (and down) quickly. Using
workers from a “Sociale Werkplaats” proves helpful for BME.
Omnichannel – This is still important to be taken into account. Ordering online is convenient but only
a store can allow you to provide samples, tastings, to smell products. It is important to pay attention to
both.

Key Take Aways:
• E-logistics is an opportunity, not a burden. In order to maximize it’s potential you need to build bridges.
Between B2B and B2C, between IT and offline, between your store and your site…..
• Don’t be afraid to outsource your e-logistics, it’s a business in itself and outsourcing it allows you to focus
on your business – making your webshop a great success.

Lecture #4
Nicole Rijkens -
The future of e-logtistics
Future scenario-based thinking is a powerful approach to reframe
challenges for the e-logistics sector. Zooming in on retail as a key area in
the production and consumption chain, one glimpses a first idea of some
future challenges that may occur in the years to come.
One scenario is this - What if our economy becomes more circular? In such a context, people might share
rather than own products, service oriented thinking and acting will become mainstream, big data &
algorithm driven matching of supply and demand a default approach, while prosumers might (re)design,
recycle and (re)produce daily products at home with the aid of additive manufacturing.
Possible consequences of a circular society for retail
• Will shops be places to experience products and service rather than points of sale?
• Will virtual shelves magically rearrange depending on who’s shopping?
• Will newbusiness models lean mostly on service leasing?
• Will the retail of raw materials & ‘recipes’ combined with just in time delivery be key new businesses
for the retailers?
• Will retailers offer more services, such as personalization or modular build-out of products, restoring,
re- and up-cycling of products?

And what about the institutional phenomenon of urban labs popping up in cities? These provide
experimental contexts for innovative players to meet, develop ideas and experiment with new solutions
for the city of tomorrow. How about retailers and key players in logistics participating in these labs to co-
design and co-produce future services and solutions?
These are but a few teasers … yet they already set the mind in motion, challenging one to look beyond
today’s status quo, to envision future challenges but also opportunities created by the changes and their
effects we envision. In doing so people experience that
Key takeaways
• The future is not a mere wave washing over one’s life and business, but something we can shape
through new ideas, new experiments, new partnerships.
• Future scenario-based thinking is a powerful approach to reframe challenges for the e-logistics
sector.

Lecture #5
Cis Scherpereel-
E-logistics as a top-class sport
Cis is an e-commerce coach and expert and has written a book that
focusses on people in e-commerce. Too often we talk about logistics
and e-commerce in terms of systems and numbers, yet without people
actually picking & packing & delivering the products it all stops.
Cis takes us on a tour through his book, and tells us about the places and people he visited. To start
with - Bol.com. There he witnessed how they do quality checks on returned goods. Every box is
opened, everything inside, every cable, every item is inspected manually by the people working in the
warehouse. If something is returned perfectly, it can be re-sold, if not it goes to a different section of the
warehouse.
The second project Cis visited is Foodbag, ‘the little brother of HelloFresh’. Here he noticed what a
struggle it is to manage the logistics. Everything has to happen in a small timeframe, with so much to do
- Making & tasting the recipes, shopping for all the products, packaging them, delivering the Foodbags,
communicating with customers and that every week again and again.
In their warehouse they choose to work with ‘sociale werkplaats’ workers, which they can scale up and
down quickly depending on how busy they are.

Packaging – some products can maybe be delivered without pacakaging? See example in the image.
Hubo.be – Their webshop, live for about 2 years now, is doing great. Yet they do have a problem which
is that they allow people to order products Click & Collect and not pay upfront. They can come to their
selected Hubo store to pick it up within 2 hours but a lot of people do not show up. This means the stores
stay behind with a lot of goods that have to be put back into the store and are missed sales.
His last example is about a day spent with a PostNL parcel delivery guy – Cis was with him for a day in
Etten-Leur and now has a lot of respect for these people. It was a very long and heavy day, even with
the delivery schedule tuned down for Cis. There was constant time stress, hardly time for a chat. On top
of that it was a hot day, with the PostNL delivery man having to jump in and out of the van hunderds of
time, locking and unlocking it every time. And yet he stayed upbeat and friendly.
Key takeaways
• Cis’ conclusion after all these examples: E-logistics is a top class sport!

PostNL Extra@Home:
More than a delivery service.
What do you think about delivering a washing machine to the 3rd floor
and then connecting it? At Extra@Home, we go beyond simply delivery.
Extra@Home offers delivery of furniture and white goods. And not at the
side of the street, but actually in the desired spot in the house.
With this service, PostNL addresses consumers’ needs. They want convenience and expect more than
simply the delivery of products. PostNL has put a lot of effort into communication about the time of
delivery. The client can use an online delivery calendar and choose the date of delivery. Furthermore,
the time period within which our driver will deliver the goods will be communicated to the customer the
night before and on the day of delivery.
There is even an option for installation, assembly and even building in, with an option to return
packaging and old equipment immediately. With 5 short questions for each recipient, customer
satisfaction follows easily. All this makes the delivery more and more enjoyable.

PostNL Parcels:
The Benelux market leader.
PostNL is the market leader in the package distribution market in the
Benelux. Thanks to its Dutch parent company, the Belgian PostNL can
rely on years of experience and strong expertise in e-commerce.
PostNL is growing strongly thanks to the large increase in the number of online orders. Meanwhile,
PostNL has already delivered something like 600,000 packages to consumers’ homes. By partnering with
the best local distribution partners, it is supporting webshops to build and further develop their national
and international e-commerce ambitions.
Thanks to an extensive network all over the Benelux, packages are delivered within 24 hours, even on
Saturday. What if you are not home? Then you can easily change the delivery of your package to
another day or another PostNL Location. Recently, PostNL also started delivering food boxes and
groceries to consumers’ homes.

PostNL International:
Your 360° view
When it comes to the international distribution of your products and
services, PostNL offers a total solution for all your mail and packages.
Thanks to 360° vision, we look for the best solution for all your logistics
needs.
With our smart international shipping and return services, PostNL takes care of providing the right
solution for every destination and for every product. As a company, this allows you to have carefree
focus on the international growth of your business.
PostNL recently began to offer Spring Tag & Trace. Using RFID technology, low-value packages are now
also trackable.

PostNL Pharma & Care:
The partner for GDP transport.
Pharma & Care is number 1 in the Benelux for extensive transportation
within the pharmaceutical sector. Thanks to many years of experience,
and the necessary GDP certificates, all your pharmaceutical shipments
are delivered with the greatest care.
PostNL Pharma & Care is a Belgian ISO-certified organisation that has developed numerous,
personalised distribution solutions in the Benelux for the transportation of pharmaceutical shipments.
PostNL has invested in a completely new fleet of temperature-controlled vehicles. With transport from
2-8°C and 15-25°C, medicines are kept at a constant temperature.
Finally, the entire Pharma & Care fleet fully complies with the GDP regulations. Hygiene conditions and
monitoring of the temperature are just some of the guidelines that pharmaceutical product
transportation must meet.

Mikropakket:
For all your high-end distribution
Since 2014, Mikropakket has been active in the Belgian market for
business-to-business distribution. It focuses mainly on the supply and
collection of packages with an above-average value and/or special
transportation requirements.
Micropakket transports cigars, bee populations, e-cigarettes, microships, GSMs and ADR goods such as
batteries for bicycles. These are all items that require a specialised approach to their transportation. All
vehicles are equipped with access control and GPS tracking, and are equipped with special
transportation conditions.

Would you like to know more?
Would you like to know more about what PostNL can do for you? Go to
www.postnl.be or call us on +32 (0)15 29 88 00. You can also send us an
e-mail: info@postnl.be

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