DHL joins the second-hand fashion market alongside Reflaunt. Following a one-year pilot in Europe, the two companies have announced a partnership, with DHL Supply Chain becoming the new logistics provider for the second-hand fashion retail platform.

According to Cathaleen Chen, The Business of Fashion at DHL Supply Chain, the agreement brings unprecedented scale and efficiency to the resale industry, with more than 1,300 warehouses and offices worldwide. "Using Reflaunt's technology and DHL's logistics power, brands have a convenient and fully integrated resale service to provide to their buyers," she said.

Specifically, DHL Supply Chain will manage the logistics process on behalf of Reflaunt, from the management of items received at customers' homes, including inspection, sorting, photography, and digital input to Reflaunt's proprietary digital platform, to the core logistics functions of inventory management, warehousing, picking and packing, and distribution.

With Reflaunt and DHL, the new brands will be able to bring e-commerce and resale operations under one roof while expanding their circularity efforts globally, they said. DHL will also support both of Reflaunt's business channels: the concierge service, which was developed for luxury brands and retailers, and the returns service, which was created for all fashion brands.

Net-a-Porter and Balenciaga pioneering Reflaunt 

The program is already in place with some brands, such as Net-a-Porter or Balenciaga, with concierge and return services integrated into a European DHL warehouse operation.

Earlier this year, Reflaunt also announced a partnership with recycling startup SuperCircle to provide an end-of-life solution for items that cannot be resold in the marketplace.

Sustainability is high on DHL's agenda. The company is investing heavily in electrified vehicles to support the growth of e-commerce, as well as sustainable aviation fuels, upgraded and fuel-efficient aircraft, and even electric planes.

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DHL Express has enhanced its online platform My Global Trade Services (MyGTS) to help simplify the international shipping process for its customers and speed up cross-border processing through artificial intelligence (AI). Thanks to the platform's optimization, its users can, before shipping, have key information on customs formalities and estimated costs at the destination, as well as know the official regulatory requirements in each country.

Regardless of a company's size, freight forwarding plays an increasingly important role for e-commerce retailers. With the redesigned MyGTS platform, DHL Express is helping them reach new markets worldwide by providing relevant information on export and import requirements for customs clearance, essential for the smooth flow of international shipments.

MyGTS will use the HS codes

DHL Express customers can use the optimized MyGTS platform to use keywords or a directory to find the Harmonized System (HS) codes needed to ship their items. The platform uses AI and machine learning mechanisms to provide customers with the correct codes, making customs clearance faster and more accurate and minimizing delays. The enhanced platform also helps customers avoid surprises, such as possible unexpected additional customs duties or taxes.

MyGTS allows for costs at destination estimation, including customs duties and relevant taxes, which can be easily calculated before shipment. Here it is worth noting that, globally, 70% of today's online shoppers choose to pay local import duties and taxes upfront when making a cross-border purchase. Therefore, retailers that provide transparency on what the total cost of the online purchase will be through their platform reinforce their customers' trust and enhance their shopping experience.

Growing global concern for cross-border shopping 

DHL's Online Shopper Survey 2023 has been one of the main catalysts for DHL to push forward with MyGTS AI-based enhancement. According to the survey, 68% of Europeans made cross-border shopping regularly, and the same report indicates they are concerned about the stability and reliability of cross-border delivery. 

China ranks first, with 56% of imports to Spain. It is followed by the United States (21%) and the United Kingdom (18%). In our country, clothing, and footwear are the most requested products in cross-border orders, with 57%, ahead of consumer electronics (38%) or sports and entertainment items (22%).

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Alibaba Cainiao, Alibaba’s logistic division, is joining parcel carrier DHL in Poland. With their combined efforts, the Asian titan intends to expand its presence in Europe. 

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Alibaba Cainiao's partnership with DHL will be translated into creating a parcel locker network in Poland, with an estimated cost of 60 million euros. 

Alibaba has been expanding in Europe in the past few years. Alibaba-owned marketplace Lazada entered Europe only last year.

DHL also announced that the company had acquired shares in Cainiao before this alliance. And that the end goal of their cooperation in Poland is to merge their existing parcel lockers into one single network. Both parties currently own 1,200 lockers in the country.

With this, DHL and Cainiao aim to become the largest out-of-home (OOH) delivery networks in the Polish market.

Poland's e-commerce keeps growing strong

According to DHL's own press release: "Poland is one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets in Europe, expected to double by 2027, and up to 40% of consumers prefer to have shipments delivered to parcel lockers. 

By joining forces with Cainiao, we will strengthen our position as a trusted parcel provider and create an extensive network of state-of-the-art parcel lockers. In this way, we can provide our customers with an even greater shipping experience on top of our existing to-door delivery options," says Pablo Ciano, CEO of DHL eCommerce Solutions.

Alibaba Cainiao and its European expansion 

Over the past years, Cainiao has been setting up its regional hub in Liege, Belgium, and sorting centers in major markets in Europe. This is further complemented by a network of parcel lockers in Poland, Spain, and France to provide a more efficient and seamless logistics experience across Europe. 

"As we tap into the great potential of Europe's e-commerce market, Cainiao strives to contribute to the growth of a sustainable logistics ecosystem by deepening our cooperation with our local partners. We are glad to have found a strong and well-established partner in DHL who shares our vision. By combining both companies' logistics, technology, and e-commerce expertise, we aspire to deliver superior service to our clients and create an unmatched online shopping experience for consumers." states William Xiong, Chief Strategy Officer and General Manager of Europe and SEA regions at Cainiao Network.

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A new and improved alerting and tracking capability is being launched by the DHL Resilience360 team. The hurricane is being analysed by an algorithm that projects its path and will notify a business of the possible impact it will have on their supply chain.

This allows companies to come up with solutions regarding producing and delivering to consumers. As peak seasons are different for every retailer, this tool could benefit during a peak as they can adapt their logistic infrastructure.

These improved forecasts have the ability to predict the path of a hurricane 3 to 5 days in advance. This allows companies time to adapt and respond before the actual occurrence of a disruption.

However, exact predictions of when and where a natural disaster will hit is difficult. Business can therefore take long-term precautions as well. Short-term solutions are for example: stocking up on materials, creating continuity plans and ensuring communication (in case of a power outage).

In the long-term, companies could establish partnerships, diversify their network and applying visibility tools can influence the effect of a hurricane.

DHL’s team of risk management experts use real-time information gained from meteorological organisations, advanced mapping techniques and the Resilience360 tool to identify storms and disasters.

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Last-mile service providers DPD and Hermes think about increasing prices for parcel home delivery at the front door. The delivery that we know as 'standard delivery' could become a premium service.

If you order a package in Germany, you may have to pay more in the long term. DPD and Hermes parcel services always expect a surcharge. They now expect the home delivery industry to be so developed that home delivery can be a more expensive, premium service.

A spokeswoman for Hermes says to heise.de: "We need to find out to what extent home delivery as a standard service, without extra costs, remains possible." She referred to countries such as Sweden, where home delivery already entails extra costs. If the course of the company, in regard to the handling of the last mile, would change, expenses will rise and the process would be time-consuming.

GLS, a subsidiary of the British Royal Mail, already introduced such surcharges for specific business customers for the Christmas business. GLS imposed surcharges to organisations on whose behalf the company sends packages. It is unclear if these companies pass on the higher door-to-door price.

No surcharges planned with DHL

Market leader Deutsche Post DHL does not plan any surcharges for home delivery. Hermes and DPD also stress that they have no concrete plans, including implementation, anytime soon. Nevertheless, the fundamental considerations and the step of GLS clarify that movement is in the price structure of the parcel market. In Germany, there are many parcel shops, but these are not used much.

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DP-DHL hopes that having one operating division fully dedicated to the German post and parcel business will ensure a more stringent execution of the previously announced PeP turnaround plan. This plan includes improved yield management, indirect cost reduction, and productivity improvement measures. At the same time, by creating the DHL eCommerce Solutions division, the company aims at a better position to leverage opportunities within the booming e-commerce logistics sector in Europe and around the world. All changes come into effect on January 1, 2019.

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