The courier company GLS, which provides parcel delivery services across Europe, has expanded the cross-border version of its FlexDeliveryService – previously offered in Belgium, Germany, and Austria – to include Poland as well.
Consumers are increasingly using the services of foreign online stores. According to experts, the share of international e-commerce in the eurozone will increase from approximately 11 percent in 2012 to 20 percent in 2015.
– Shoppers in online stores always expect convenient delivery of goods that fits their daily schedule – says Tomasz Kroll, Region Manager of GLS Poland & Ireland. – The FlexDeliveryService provides this possibility even in the case of international e-commerce.
Thanks to this service offered by GLS Poland, private recipients gain a wide range of delivery options in various combinations across four countries. In addition to the solutions already available in Poland, they will also be able to take advantage of the option to leave the parcel in a place indicated by the recipient, e.g., in case of their absence at the delivery address, and in selected locations, also Saturday and evening delivery.
The signal to launch the FlexDeliveryService is always given by the online seller, who provides GLS with the customer’s email address, naturally after obtaining the customer’s consent. Subsequently, GLS communicates with the parcel recipient in their native language. Immediately after the delivery process begins, they receive an email notification that the parcel is on its way, indicating the time window in which the delivery will take place. From that moment until the early morning hours on the expected day of delivery, the recipient, despite the short delivery time, has the option to choose an alternative delivery option. This can be done by clicking on the link provided in the email, without the need for registration. In accordance with the recipient’s expectations, GLS will deliver the parcel: to any selected GLS ParcelShop point, to a different address, or on a different date, will enable collection at a branch, leaving it in a designated place (e.g., on a terrace), or will accept a refusal of delivery. A private recipient, when shopping in foreign online stores, gains the ability to electronically track the journey of their parcel throughout Europe – from the moment it is sent until it is delivered. They will also be notified of delivery details, e.g., leaving a notice or an incorrect delivery address.