Mark Pettit, Hermes sales and marketing director, explains the benefits of its national network of parcel shops to support retailer fulfilment.

The phenomenal growth in online shopping means that the industry is constantly celebrating new and exciting milestones. For instance, £100bn was spent online by UK consumers last year for the very first time, while it is predicted that next month’s Black Friday will be the UK’s first £1bn online shopping day.

At Hermes headquarters we are also planning to celebrate a milestone of our own, as the 5,000th myHermes ParcelShop will be launched later this month. Our company may be primarily known for delivering parcels on behalf of many of the UK’s leading high street names, but our ParcelShop network plays a vital role in supplementing the fantastic work our couriers carry out across the country each day. Since our first myHermes ParcelShop opened in 2011 the constant investment to expand our footprint now means that more than 48 million people within the UK now live within just one mile of an outlet.

With myHermes ParcelShops open seven days a week, early until late, they offer an extremely convenient service to online shoppers, especially those people who are not based at home during standard business hours. Meanwhile, those people wishing to send a parcel, within the UK or overseas, are provided with a reliable and cost-effective solution.

However, I thought it would be interesting to share first hand the benefits it brings to those convenience stores that choose to become myHermes ParcelShop. Kays News in Waterlooville, Hampshire, has been offering the service to its customers since the summer of 2012. Here’s what assistant manager Robert Aylen had to say:

“We opted for myHermes because we felt the company offered us a good price, and also a good price to our customers. The cost of sending a parcel is very reasonable compared with the Post Office, so that helps with customer loyalty.”

Robert also explained that on top of the commission the shop receives, the key benefit of having the service is that it brings people into the store:

“We have found that the majority of people using the parcel service do buy other things too, whether that’s a bottle of Coke or a newspaper. I hate to quote Tesco, but ‘every little helps’. The extra revenue is important to us.

“We have six or seven regulars who come in to the store to use the service, and they also pick up extra items when here, so the ParcelShop has brought in new customers. Our busiest day can see us handling between 60 and 70 parcels. We have always offered a lot to our community, and having the ParcelShop service helps with that.”

myHermes ParcelShops that are located within major towns and cities provide a valuable service to those people who are constantly on the move and cannot afford to wait at home all day for their deliveries. Meanwhile, in more rural areas, convenience stores offering our parcel services are able to become a ‘one stop shop’ that can fulfil all of their customers’ needs.

At Hermes, we understand that delivery is a key factor in the overall online shopping experience and we will continue to support the retail industry by continuing to look beyond traditional home delivery and improving the services and solutions our ParcelShops provide.

  • Mark Pettit is sales & marketing director at Hermes