DHL expands last-mile e-commerce network to Bangkok

Today, DHL released plans to expand its urban last-mile delivery service, “DHL Parcel Metro,” beyond the U.S., to now include the greater Bangkok area.

The company’s e-commerce division launched the Parcel Metro program in March, offering shippers same-day or one-day delivery for parcels up to 20 kilograms in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles – accompanied by a customizable digital app.

The service will now be open to Thai online retailers, enabling them to offer consumers faster shipping and real-time package tracking, which has become an increasingly common expectation from consumers around the world, thanks to e-tailer giants like Amazon and Alibaba.

“Megacities around the world are seeing rapid urbanization and strong growth in e-commerce,” said Charles Brewer, CEO of DHL eCommerce. “The resulting surge in parcel deliveries and the growing urban consumer’s demands for same-day and instant gratification,” calls for innovative solutions, such as DHL’s service, he added.

The digital app uses dispatching and routing algorithms to “improve cost and operational efficiency,” utilizing a network of vans, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and on-foot carriers.

The company’s managing director of its eCommerce division, Kiattichai Pitpreecha, indicated DHL is not expecting to let up on the throttle anytime soon. “Demand for same-day delivery is expected to increase by over 43 percent per annum,” she said. “We already see urban, time-constrained and on-demand consumers expecting instant and same-day deliveries for their online purchases.”