Friday 31 January 2014

UPS releases fourth quarter results

UPS, the American international parcel delivery company, published its fourth quarter results yesterday.

The company announced earlier in the month that diluted earnings per share for the quarter would be lower than initially anticipated, owing to bad weather and the need to take on an increased number of personnel due to unprecedented order volumes in the run up to Christmas. In spite of this, 2013 results generally compared favourably with the previous year and UPS have promised even better for 2014.


Revenue for the US domestic package, the largest branch of the company, rose 4.2% to $8.9 billion. The international package climbed 5.3% year-on-year from $3.2 to $3.37 billion while revenue from the Supply Chain & Freight division dropped 5.8%. 

Consolidated revenue for the quarter amounted to almost $15 million, an overall 2.8% increase from 2012's $14.57 billion Q4 turnover.

The fourth quarter's performance provided a good end for the US courier - revenue increased 2.4% to over $55 billion and total operating profit rose to $7,034 billion compared to $1,343 billion in 2012. 

Kurt Kuehn, UPS Chief Financial Officer, said, "While the year ended on a challenging note, we are confident in our ability to adapt and we expect much better results in 2014. UPS expects balanced profitability growth across all segments in a slightly better economic environment, resulting in full-year guidance of diluted earnings per share of $5.05 to $5.30, an 11%-to-16% increase over our 2013 adjusted results."

Thursday 30 January 2014

E-commerce buzz words - how many do you use?

Atul Bhakta, Managing Director of One World Express, has recently shone a light on the increasing pervasiveness of the language of e-commerce in the international shipping sector.

In an interview with Post & Parcel he come up with a list of current buzz words associated with global e-commerce. How many from the list are you familiar with?


Growth - surely not preserved for the realm of online business, the issue of growth is at the forefront of every business person's mind, but it's certainly true that the growth opportunities within the online channels are particularly compelling. E-commerce is often seen as a way into foreign markets, without the initial outlay cost of setting up a physical office abroad.

Expansion - different to growth in that it implies not only increased sales but a broader consumer base, e-commerce offers more opportunities to expand into international markets than ever before.

Export - clearly, export costs are a vital element of any e-commerce model, and there a variety of options available to businesses and consumers. As a business, should you offer free international delivery, link up with an international delivery partner, or encourage your customers to arrange their own deliveries? And how much advice should you give on customs and related issues? As global markets become increasingly interconnected, such issues are emerging as essential to the future of global business - whoever knew logistics was such a host topic!

Cost effective deliveries - For consumers, it's important that the large potential savings of making purchases online are not counteracted by prohibitive delivery costs. This is why many e-commerce operators team up with discount parcel delivery resellers such as Transglobal Express, securing top-brand deliveries from the likes of UPS, DHL and TNT at a fraction of the price. Many consumers also may opt to arrange deliveries through these agents directly.

Visibility of parcels - A significant challenge currently faced by e-commerce professionals is the development of robust parcel-tracking systems. Customers want to know where their parcel is, and when it will be delivered. Lack of such a facility makes many potential buyers more tentative, so it's important to integrate this into your business model.

Customs Clearance - This is a tricky one as there are so many potential markets with such ever changing import policies. Argentina, for example, recently imposed strict regulations regarding the import of goods bought from foreign e-commerce websites, and Russia has imposed similar restrictions, in such a way as to hinder the likes of Ebay and Amazon's rapid expansion into the huge Russian market. It's important for companies to maintain a working knowledge of the customs restrictions of the country they're sending too and, importantly, to encourage consumers to do the same.

Source: Post & Parcel

Wednesday 29 January 2014

DHL introduces new reporting standards for GoGreen services

Deutsche Post DHL demonstrated its increased commitment to environmentally accountable shipping by announcing more in depth reporting of its GoGreen programme earlier this month.
Zoom

While the German logistics giant previously measured the amount of CO2 produced by its transport services, it will now capture and publish data on other relevant greenhouse gases including methane and nitrous oxide. DHL has stated this will enable greater transparency for customers wishing to ensure that their shipping has the lowest possible impact on the environment.

As of this year, a "climate neutral" service" is available for all DHL customers whereby the carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions precipitated by their shipping are offset through recognised climate protection projects.

DHL also provide a "Green Optimization" service which involves consultation about the entire supply chain of business customers.

Monday 27 January 2014

Amazon to offer Sunday Delivery to Amazon Prime subscribers

Following a successful four-week trial in London in the run-up to Christmas, online retail giant Amazon last week announced that it is now offering Sunday deliveries to Amazon Prime Customers in several cities across the UK.
An Amazon Warehouse and Distribution centre in Swansea
Amazon Prime is a service available for non business customers whereby users pay an annual fee in exchange for free next day delivery on a number of eligible purchases. Up until recently, delivery services ran from Monday-Saturday, but delivery will now be available seven days a week in London, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Oxford, Manchester and Leeds.

The deliveries will be carried out by Amazon Logistics, which works with regional delivery partners to deliver items directly to customers. Jamie Stephenson, UK Director of Amazon Logistics, commented: “Delivery on a Sunday means every day is now an Amazon delivery day and that Prime members can enjoy even more convenience when shopping on Amazon. At Amazon, we’re continually innovating on behalf of our customers. We know customers really appreciated the immediacy of Sunday deliveries during the Christmas period and we were able to deliver thousands more parcels in this way in those four weeks."

This is not the first time that Amazon has proposed innovative delivery solutions. The company made headlines last December by testing unmanned drones for a delivery service tentatively named "Prime Air".

Amazon Prime is designed for individual users and their families whose purchases are primarily for personal use. Business customers who use Amazon as a distributor for their goods are not eligible for the service. If you are an SME looking for door-to-door courier services for your customers, it's worth getting a discount parcel delivery quote from Transglobal Express.


Source: Post & Parcel

Friday 24 January 2014

TNT to integrate UK fashion logistics branch into main UK network, cutting 130 jobs

Following announcements in December that TNT Express planned to cut almost 250 jobs from its UK and Ireland division, reports of a further 130 expected job cuts from the UK Fashion division were revealed last week.


The latest round of cuts is intended to bring about efficiencies in TNT's business operation by integration of the UK fashion arm with the main UK business operation. UK and Ireland managing director Alistair Cochrane insists that this would be of benefit to fashion customers: “Combining the greater resources and more expansive infrastructure offered by TNT Express with the industry specific expertise and services of TNT Fashion will bring direct benefits to the speed and quality of service for our customers, and therefore long-term success of both their business and ours,” he said.

The integration process will begin in March 2014, and TNT have said that they are working closely with staff and trade unions to support those employees most affected by the changes, "including considering redeployment options where appropriate".

TNT has been slim-lining its operation since its failed merger with UPS last year, and has already divested from China and reduced its staff in Italy and France.

Thursday 23 January 2014

Argentina limits citizens to two foreign e-commerce purchases a year

The government of Argentina has introduced strict new measures limiting purchases from international e-commerce websites.

According to new controls published on Tuesday 21st January, Argentina residents are restricted from making any more than two online purchases from foreign e-commerce websites each year.

In addition, for purchases of more than $25 worth of goods, consumers must register as "importers" and comply with regulations set out by the General Import Regime. Purchases over the $25 limit will also be subject to a 50% import duty, applicable to both the value of the goods and the freight costs, and anyone importing more than their limit will have to clear goods personally at the customs office.

Argentina
Argentina's head of Administration of Public Revenue (AFIP), Richard Echegaray, said the new measures were being implemented "in order to optimise traceability of transactions". The general understanding is that Argentina is bringing in the new law to restrict currency leaving Argentina at such a difficult economic time for the South American country. Argentina's currency reserves recently fell to their lowest level in seven years.

International online shopping had been booming in Argentina until recently, with 2013 seeing twice the number of Argentinians making online purchases than 2012.

In spite of the severity of these new laws, an announcement by the Directorate General of Customs seems to indicate that certain goods will be exempt, and analysts have suggested that electronic applications such as computer software will not be subject to such tight restrictions.

Source: Post & Parcel

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Sending Parcels to India | Top Tips for first time shippers



Whether you want to send a parcel from the UK to India for personal or commercial reasons, you'll want your parcel to be delivered as quickly, safely and cheaply as possible. Thankfully, there is significant demand for parcel delivery services to India, meaning that competition keeps prices fairly low while transit times and quality of service have also improved in recent years. We've come up with some top tips for sending your parcel to India - you may find them useful if it's your first experience of international parcel delivery.


Sending a parcel quickly

If speed is important to you, it's important that you choose an express service such as DHL Express Worldwide or UPS Express Saver. Depending on your UK collection address, such services can take as little as two days to reach India if you are shipping to a commercial centre such as Bangalore, Mumbai or Dehli.

The time taken for your goods to clear customs can also have an effect on how long it takes for your parcel to reach its final destination. Avoid customs delays by familiarising yourself with customs restrictions and regulations before you ship, and be sure to fill in all necessary documentation such as your customs invoice in advance of your parcel being collected.

Sending a parcel safely

Make sure you use a trusted and establish courier such as FedEx, UPS, DHL or TNT. Shipping with such top-brand carriers should guarantee a certain level of service, and an appropriate procedure to follow should things not go as planned. Importantly, these carriers are the four biggest providers of parcel delivery to India in the world, meaning that their networks are often better and more established than smaller brands.

Importantly, shipping with these carriers also gives you visibility as to the whereabouts of your parcel  from collection through to delivery via track and trace facilities. You can track your parcel's journey and view regular updates on how your delivery is progressing.

Sending a parcel cheaply

For top-brand delivery at a fraction of the price, consider booking your delivery through a reseller such as Transglobal Express. You can save up to 70% on shipping to India when booking to Transglobal - we facilitate thousands of deliveries to India every year, meaning we can negotiate the best possible parcel delivery rates, which we pass onto you. Click here to get a quote. Happy shipping!

Monday 20 January 2014

Yodel named worst parcel delivery service in Money Saving Expert poll

Yodel was named the worst parcel delivery service for the second year running earlier this month. A poll on the renowned Money Saving Expert website asked for the views of almost 9,000 users and 58%  of those who had had goods delivered by Yodel rated their experience with the company as bad, compared with only 22% stating is was good.


Marin Lewis, founder of the website, commented, "Yet again Yodel has come bottom of the delivery pile. It's not quite as hideous as last year when 71% rated it bad – but it should act as a serious warning to anyone thinking of using it, or a company that uses it."

According to Martin, part of the reason for people's dissatisfaction was the "indirect nature of delivery firms". Yodel delivers for a number of major retailers including Amazon, Tesco Direct and Argos, meaning that many customers have no choice but to use them if they are purchasing from such companies.

"It's time we put pressure on retailers to stop inflicting this type of delivery on us." urged Martin, "any customer who has an abominable delivery service should complain to the retailer and ask them to justify why they use firms with such dire reputations."

Hermes also came out quite badly in the poll, with 30% of customers reporting a bad service from the company. The most highly-rated services were DPD, Collect Plus, Royal Mail and UPS.

Thursday 16 January 2014

Online reviews and their importance to e-commerce | Advice for SMEs

One of the implications of the explosive rise in e-commerce is that many companies are compelled to focus on online marketing more than ever before. To the tech-savvy, established online businesses, and businesses with developed online platforms, this is a great opportunity; to those businesses not familiar with online marketing, the rise in e-commerce poses more of a challenge. Either way, the importance of making your brand visible and enticing online cannot be understated.


With more people making an ever increasing volume of purchases online - as was further proved by this year's Christmas sales - it makes sense to use all the tools at your disposal to increase the chances that a potential customer will come across your company while surfing the web. But even if they do reach your website, chances are that many potential customers will be dissuaded from making a purchase if they are not able to find quality reviews of your services written by other customers.



Unless your brand is a huge household name (and at times, even then) many potential customers will be tentative about making a purchase over the internet without being assured by others that you are a viable and quality business. According to studies by 15 miles and Neuestar, 60% of consumers consider online ratings and reviews important when researching businesses and according to survey results released last Decemeber by Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange (OTX), 78% of online Americans aged 18-64 said that online reviews influenced their purchases. It's therefore vital that you encourage online reviews as part of your online marketing strategy.


It's not just a case of having as many reviews as possible, nor as many positive reviews as possible. A customer reading your reviews will be seeking quality over quantity - reviews that are fairly detailed and give an honest, balanced report of their customer experience.

At Transglobal Express, we've been working on this for some time, so we thought that sharing our experience could help some of the SMEs that we serve. Here are our top tips for requesting, receiving and reacting to online reviews.

1. Ask all of your customers to leave a review 
Not only is it unethical to ask only the customers your think will give a positive review to write about their experience, it's also better for your business to ensure you put in systems inviting ALL of your customers to write a review. This is because potential customers will want to see an overall assessment of the company - a business that has solely positive reviews is likely to seem more suspect that one that has both positive and negative reviews, as long as the negative reviews are addressed appropriately.

2. Use more than one review site
It's a good idea to spread your reviews over more than one website. This means that potential customers will get a consistent and therefore more trustworthy impression of your business. Sites such as TrustPilot are increasingly popular, and we direct our customers there, but there are also many other sites such as Review Centre and many service specific sites such as TripAdvisor, which you could focus on, depending on the nature of your business.

3. Consider using an online review partner
While asking customers to leave a review yourselves can be effective, we also recommend teaming up with a reviewing partner such as TrustPilot, which sends out the review requests for your via email. Customers tend to be more likely to respond to a third party. Make sure your review invitation stresses how much you value customer feedback.

4. Respond to your reviewers and engage with their feedback
Don't forget that inviting reviews of your service opens a line of communication between you and your customer. Don't just send the review request and leave it at that. Regardless of the rating given, if there is anything in a customer's review that requires attention - from a constructive criticism to an expression of dissatisfaction - make sure you respond. And make sure your response is constructive, helpful and not defensive. Invite customers to email your customer services team if they require further advice or help.  Responding to reviews has two major advantages - the customer who left the review will be glad you have acknowledged their review and are taking steps to respond to any issues, and the potential customer will see that you are a responsive and customer-focused business.

5. Use the reviews as a chance to improve your processes - and advise customers of the changes you have made
This one is self explanatory - assess your reviews regularly, they are an invaluable insight into how your customers perceive you as a company. Does this clash with your own impression of the company? If so, you need to take action. Respond to customer feedback not only via the review site but also within the business - what changes and improvements could you do? Above all, customer feedback is an opportunity for you to improve!

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Asia Pacific airlines reports year-on-year cargo growth

Asia Pacific airlines recently reported a year-on-year growth in freight tonne kilometres for the month of November 2013. Demand increased by 5.4% compared to November 2012, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.

The Asia Pacific region constitutes by far the largest proportion of global freight traffic. Increased in demand in Asia Pacific have therefore contributed to the 4.4% increase in global air cargo demand for November reported by IATA this month.

The increase in FTK does not necesarilly indicate that all is rosy for the air cargo sector, however. The average freight load factor remained depress at 67.2% following a 6.1% increase in carrier freight capacity.

AAPA director General, Andrew Herman, commented,  "Air Cargo demand has remained relatively weak, with volumes 0.7% lower compared to the same period last year, but has picked up in recent months in line with steadily improving global economic conditions.

Source: Air Cargo Week

Tuesday 14 January 2014

Which is the best shipping solution for me? | The evolution of shipping over time

The proliferation of parcel delivery services in the last couple of decades, and, with it, the emergence of parcel delivery resellers such as Transglobal Express, has made express delivery more accessible and more affordable than ever before.

Once upon a time, most people would go to the post office if they wanted to send a parcel internationally and private courier services were much more the preserve of businesses, or those with an urgent personal parcel delivery that could afford to be undeterred by the high prices.

The use of freight services has also developed over time. While it is still the case that air freight and sea freight are mainly used for commercial shipments, an increasing number of shippers send excess baggage by air, or personal effects by sea, if they are relocating to another country, for example.

The democratisation of door-to-door couriers, air freight and sea freight services, and, importantly, the availability of online quoting and booking facilities in the last five years or so, has meant more and more small businesses and private customers have access to a variety of delivery options.

But with so much choice, it's sometimes difficult to determine which is the best service for you. At Transglobal, we are often asked by our customers about the difference between an air freight service and an air-based courier service, for example.

For that reason, we thought it would be helpful to produce a guide to choosing the right delivery service, which you can access by clicking here.

Generally speaking, a door-to-door courier service is an express delivery option that includes collection from your door, delivery to another address of your choice and, where applicable, any necessary assistance with customs clearance. If you're shipping internationally, your goods are likely to be shipped by air for the majority of their journey, but they still differ from air freight services per se.

Air freight services typically run from departure airport to destination airport, not door to door. Most freight forwarders, including Transglobal Express, can arrange to have your goods collected or can advise an appropriate drop off point for your goods other than the airport, but usually the delivery terminates at the destination airport. For experienced shippers or those requiring more control over their delivery, a back to back air freight service enables you to use your own clearance agent, as well as more choice as to when exactly your goods will be shipping. With a door-to-door courier service, by contrast, your parcel enters the network of your chosen carrier and is consigned to them for the duration of the delivery. A parcel on a door-to-door courier service is delivered through a carrier's network, and while most services are fully trackable, there is often very little advance information about the journey your goods will take. Air freight offers increased transparency and will therefore benefit shippers for whom this is important.

Sea freight is similar to air freight in that it typically runs from sea port to sea port, unlike door-to-door services. Sea freight typically costs much less, takes much longer and is most economical for larger volumes of goods. In fact, many freight forwarders request that you are shipping at least 1 cubic metre in order to get a sea freight quote, given that, with lesser volumes, a door-to-door courier services or air freight service is likely to be the more economical choice.

If you need any help choosing a service, please don't hesitate to call our experienced staff on 0845 145 1212


Monday 13 January 2014

TNT wins 18-month Gibson contract

International courier company TNT Express recently announced it is to be the sole express delivery provider to Gibson Brand Inc. across Europe, the Middle East and Africa – regions of increasing importance to Gibson, the famous musical instrument manufacturer.



Amsterdam-based TNT has won an exclusive 18 month contract with Gibson, which will entail management of the delivery of the full range of Gibson Brand Inc. products to 300 authorised dealers in Europe, the Middle East and South Africa. TNT will deliver via its road network through its well-known Economy Express service, taking special care to ensure that the delicate instruments and professional audio equipment is protected in transit and arrives in perfect condition.

As well as handling deliveries to customers, TNT has also been tasked with handling returns from dealers to Gibson’s distribution centre in Vianen, Netherlands, for repairs or replacement. This will be done as efficiently as possible thanks to TNT’s recently launched e-RMA (Return Material Authorisation) tool. Through this online portal, Gibson customers can arrange a return shipment with ease, with complete visibility as to the progress of their return and replacement is available online.

Alex Smits, EMEA DC Manager Gibson Europe stated, "Reliability is the number one reason we’ve chosen TNT Express to manage our express transportation activities in Europe, the Middle East and South Africa. With e-RMA we have a great dashboard that provides excellent visibility of return shipments to our distribution centre in the Netherlands. I am confident this will contribute to our promise to customers: "We get you back playing."