Ep 366: M&A in the food delivery sector

Gordon Steward, Marketing Director, The Information Factory, shares how cost allocation can help drive profitability in parcel delivery and avoid the race to the bottom. We cover: What senior executives need to know about cost allocation in the last mile Balancing costs with USO obligations Parcel volume growth while revenue per parcel is under threat Cost allocation and the letters service Responding to regulators' USO demands How to be profitable in parcels and avoiding being in the race to the bottom Identifying unprofitable customers Measuring end-to-end costs - including hidden costs such as customer service The importance of understanding the true floor cost position The risk of reducing prices to win business Bringing operational, sales, finance and business data together Identifying avoidable costs Pricing for profit Creating a new service and setting profitable pricing

InPost UK Chief Commercial Officer Jon Nicholson shares an overview of InPost UK's operations, the Yodel acquisition, and standing out in a competitive market. Overview of InPost UK's operations Journey from being a locker network to being an end-to-end carrier Offering returns as well as delivery InPost UK's PUDO network, including identifying potential PUDO sites InPost's acquisition of Yodel Creating national coverage and taking control of end-to-end logistics Investment in Menzies How does InPost UK try to stand out in a competitive market? Competitors shifting focus to out-of-home delivery Importance of quality and convenience at the right price Learning from InPost's experiences in Poland

Dominique Mamcarz, Director of Sustainability at Geopost, discusses Geopost's sustainability strategy and its recent Sustainability Report. Embedding sustainability in the Geopost business Geopost's sustainability programme A pragmatic approach to reducing Geopost's carbon footprint Measuring emissions reliably and customers' emissions reporting The role of Geopost's Carbon Calculator Breakdown of Geopost's carbon emissions Replacing diesel vehicles with electric vehicles Advances in electric vehicles and TCO Challenges in line haul, including biofuels and electrification Charging infrastructure and scheduling challenges Solar panels and making best use of Geopost facilities Producing and storing electricity at Geopost sites Future of sustainability at Geopost Preparedness for extreme weather events Low-emission, low-traffic, and green zones in city centres

Serial returners might think they are environmentally conscious, but new research shows they contribute a disproportionately high amount of emissions compared to other online shoppers. Assistant Professor Heleen Buldeo Rai from VUB Mobilise discusses: Increasing purchases and increasing returns The very high return rates for fashion Higher returns online compared to in-store purchases How to define "serial returners", including minimum threshold of purchases Environmental awareness of serial returners What causes serial returners to return goods bought online? Does the e-commerce sector have to take responsibility for encouraging this behaviour? Returns policies and consumer behaviour What tools could e-commerce retailers use to reduce returns? Retailer practices for resellable returned items Resale potential of returned items Sustainability implications of returns, and of serial return behaviour The distances returned items have to travel Serial returners are responsible for a disproportionate amount of emissions The research "Consumer heterogeneity behind e-commerce returns and emissions" can be downloaded via a link on the Postal Hub Podcast website - thepostalhub.com

Phil Sambrook, EMEA Transport and Logistics Strategy at Zebra, discusses technology in the middle mile and last mile. We cover: The demand for speed How the middle mile sets up the last mile for success Using data to reduce WISMO queries Implementing technologies in sorting centres Productivity gains through implementing RFID Removing manual tasks through readily available automation technology Supply chain integrity improvements through machine vision and data driven insights Improving working conditions and safety for warehouse workers FedEx case study - photo proof of delivery with integrated AI Improving reliability and accuracy of photos, along with customer data security Evri case study - self-service parcel drop-off solution Queue busting and reducing waste Episode sponsored by Zebra. Visit zebra.com for more information.