DHL launches new On Demand Service in 6 African countries

Thousands of Africa’s courier company DHL Express customers are set to benefit from its newly launched On-Demand-Delivery service for the sub-Saharan region.

The service launched on Tuesday in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, will now allow shippers and receivers globally to select from a range of standardised delivery options, the company has said.

The service currently has a presence in six markets including South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Mauritius and Tanzania, with plans to roll out to further sub-Sahara countries throughout 2017.

On-Demand-Delivery offers shippers the choice to activate specific delivery options and have DHL Express proactively notify their customers via email or SMS about a shipment’s progress.

Customers can then select the delivery option that best suits their requirements via the On Demand Delivery website.

“Globally, we have seen the share of e-commerce deliveries grow from about 10 per cent in 2013 to more than 20 per cent of the international volumes of DHL Express in 2016,” Hennie Heymans, CEO of DHL Express sub-Saharan Africa told the press in Nairobi.

The service is specifically tailored to the demands of international e-commerce deliveries, where the majority of shipments are addressed to residential addresses and customers place considerable emphasis on flexibility and convenience.

“On Demand Delivery isn’t just a new customer interface – it also represents an enhancement of our worldwide network, as we have tailored our last-mile operations to meet the specific demands of cross-border e-commerce deliveries.”

“Thanks to On Demand Delivery, we can support the service offering of online shippers and improve the delivery experience for their customers, while improving our own efficiency, particularly for last-mile deliveries,” Heymans added.

Usage

The company said the site/platform can be accessed on smartphones, tablets, PC and any other related device with internet connections, offering receivers up to six delivery options, and further notes that the platform is very easy to use with no worries and on the other hand benefits both shippers and receivers.

Receivers can as well schedule a delivery; arrange delivery to a nearby DHL service point or their own alternate address, and even request that a shipment is put on hold during a vacation.

The firm plans to deploy the service to more than 100 countries across the globe in 2017, accounting for the majority of global trade and online retail activity, and is available in over 45 languages.

Shippers can incorporate their own branding into customer notifications.

Receivers can schedule a delivery, arrange delivery to a nearby DHL Service Point or their own alternate address, and even request that a shipment is put on hold during a vacation.