Everyone knows, a cab is more expensive than the bus. You pay more for a direct flight than one with stopovers. In logistics, it's just the same. Different transport options, numerous service levels and each at a certain price. That's why we set out to find a customized solution for each project!
Service vs. cost
The positioning of your brand, the type of product, the weight, the size of the package, the delivery speed and your level of service help determine the choice of transport and thus the cost. Not an easy task to see the forest for the trees. We made the choices transparent and digitally integrated a wide range of partners. This way, we can offer a solution for every challenge at an agreed price.
Parcel delivery
When we started our company a few years ago, we were mainly focused on Belgium and the Netherlands from a B2C point of view. Small parcels from webshops, from point A to point B. In itself not a difficult task to get the products to the consumer. Yet for our first integrations we chose; Bpost, DPD, GLS and Post NL. I can already hear you thinking: 'Why four carriers for a not so large area?' Because we understood back then that the choice of carrier is not determined by the webshop, but by the consumer. If you don't have a good experience with one, you choose the other. The consumer should be able to decide when, by whom and how he is delivered.
As B2B became part of our strategy, getting the puzzle pieces right began to become even more important. Not every carrier did equally well in every country or on every continent. Each one differentiates itself in its own way, and it is precisely in this that we, as experience experts, must guide our partners.
For that reason, today we are integrated with seven parcel carriers; Post NL, Bpost, GLS, DPD, DHL, DHL Express and Deutsche Post. By integrated, we mean that the entire process is digital. Once the right carrier has been chosen for a particular country, no human intervention is required. An additional advantage is that if there are problems in the process (strike, network overload, etc.), we can switch to another carrier silently and at the click of a button.
Slow vs. Fast
Depending on the product (niche, value, type) and the sales channel (B2C or B2B) the choice is made to deliver fast or slow. To give an example; sending a low value product to Australia is best not done with an express shipment. The transport cost outweighs the value of the product. It is better to use the postal network of e.g. Deutsche Post.
Are you more into high end fashion and your customer pays several hundred euros for a dress? Then you do want it delivered quickly and at the best service. Tomorrow in the south of Spain? No problemo señorita! We can even include a return label so that if the dress does not fit, the customer can arrange for a pick up to come and pick up the package at home. What a service!
Processing returns
Logistics is not a one way thing. In B2C, the consumer has the right of return. Those flows also need to be organized. That is also part of our core business. Is France your focus market and you want to facilitate returns for your customer? You can. A return label can be proactively sent along with every departing order. One of our many partners alone has 22,000 drop-off points all over Europe. That can already count!
Pallet transport
B2B means larger orders, larger quantities and therefore regular pallet transport. Here too, differences in service and price and the choice of the right partner are important. Where one is strong in price/quality when it comes to delivering one pallet, the other is strong in price when it comes to full loads. In order to guarantee European coverage, we are digitally integrated with GLS and DHL. Vandepoel and Jacobs also support us to provide a solution for every demand.
Amazon
Amazon as an additional sales channel? Then you have to consider the extremely strict delivery requirements and time windows. You have a half-hour window within which the products must be delivered. In times of congested roads, this is no easy task. That's why we partnered with DHL. They are Amazon's preferred partner and handle the delivery of your goods to Amazon themselves. No worries!
Conclusion
Finding solutions to your issues is in our DNA. Do you have a challenge, want to tap into a new country or integrate a new sales channel? Let us know. We will search together with you and develop a customized proposal! BME as an extension of your strategy also means putting the right transportation puzzle in place!
