B2C shipping worldwide made easy:
DPD offers full-service solution for German e-commerce customers

DPD shareholder GeoPost acquires majority shareholding in award winning international logistics provider,wnDirect

From customs clearance to returns: DPD DIRECT breaks down barriers in international distance selling

Aschaffenburg, 1October 2014 – With immediate effect international expansion to importantmarkets worldwide has become significantly easier for German e-commerce suppliers. International parcel and express service provider DPD is now offering a full-service solution for B2C shipping to more than 30 major e-commerce markets. The new service – entitled DPD DIRECT– relieves shippers of all the administrative work which in the past made worldwide shipping so time-consuming. It not only deals with all the applicable import and customs regulations but also implements specialised B2C delivery and even offersan uncomplicated returns solution. The service is implemented in cooperation with wnDirect, the award winning international logistics provider based in the UK. DPD majority shareholder GeoPost recently acquired a 57% shareholding of wnDirect.

"There is still tremendous growth potential in cross-border e-commerce", explains Ralf Bürk, Director Products & Services International at DPD in Germany, adding: "However, the obstacles are still great, especially for shipments to non-EU countries. It is our aim to support such shippers in opening up new markets for themselves."

Initially this shipping solution will be available for 30 destinations. In addition to countries such as the USA, China, India and Brazil, it also covers small but dynamic markets such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Hong Kong and Australia. For all these destinations DPD DIRECT customers only need to provide DPD with the necessary electronic data and the parcels themselves. DPD then implements fast, paperless customs clearance management together with its partner wnDirect, as well as processing all the charges and country-specific shipping regulations which apply. Delivery within the country of destination is provided bybest in class partner companies in the specific country which specialise in deliveries to private consignees. An uncomplicated returns solution is also in place for each individual country of destination. Important for online shops which offer international shipping: all the charges and taxes for the individual destination can be identified as early as the checkout stage, and accordingly invoiced to the final customer in a transparent way.

In international shipping, too, DPD customers benefit from seamless shipment tracking and a high level of transparency. An additional benefit is that like all other DPD shipments, the transport of shipments sent with DPD DIRECT is climate neutral, without additional cost to the customer.

Partnership with wnDirect

The new DPD DIRECT service has been made possible by the cooperation with wnDirect, a logistics operator specialising in flexible shipping solutions for international e-commerce customers. DPD majority shareholder GeoPost has had a stake in this British service provider since 2012, and in mid-2014 this shareholding was increased to 57%.

wnDirecthas, since launch, focused on UK and USA outbound services working with a number of high profile retailers including ASOS. wnDirecthas developed a range of specialist innovative services which not only ensure retailer’s parcels get delivered, but that they get delivered with the upmost ease. An attractive attribute when you consider the considerable challenges of international shipping.

"The new offeris an ideal supplement to our own expertise in domestic and European B2C shipping", explains Ralf Bürk. "At the same time it highlights the fact that for a long time now we have no longer simply been a transport operator - we are now an ideal partner for all companies aiming to access new target groups by offering outstanding shipping services."

DPD's B2C offensive

Within its entire international network DPD focuses on direct interaction with consignees, so that they can integrate parcel deliveries flexibly and conveniently into their everyday routine and take delivery of their goods as fast as possible. With internationally harmonised services and its integrated ParcelShop network DPD offers premium-standard operations in cross-border B2C shipping within Europe.

Within Germany DPD established a new benchmark in deliveries to private consignees in July 2014. The company can predict down to the last 30 minutes exactly when the delivery driver will arrive. On an online map consignees can watch in real time how many more stops the driver has to make before he will be ringing their doorbell. They receive advance notification of the shipment the day before, and then have a number of options available for redirecting it at any time – if necessary even five minutes before the driver actually arrives. With such services DPD aims to double its share of the B2C market in Germany to 15% by 2018 at the latest.

Photo: Thanks to the cooperation between DPD and wnDirect international B2C shipping is now just as simple for shippers and consignees as making a purchase from an online shop.

Photo available in print quality from

About DPD

With the shipment of 2.5 million parcels a day DPD is a leading international provider of parcel and express services. The company has the most efficient road network in Europe and delivers to 230 countries worldwide. Customers can choose services from an extensive product range of national and international parcel and express services for business and home deliveries.

Every parcels sent via DPD’s network are carbon neutral in major European markets as of July 2012. This Total Zero principle means carbon neutral parcel shipping at no extra cost to the customer. Total Zero, DPD’s new carbon neutrality commitment, demonstrates the company’s ongoing efforts to reduce its environmental impact on the planet.

A workforce of 24,000 and 18,000 vehicles operate at more than 800 locations. The majority shareholder in DPD with 83,32 % shareholding is the GeoPost Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of French Groupe La Poste. With a consolidated turnover of 4.391 billion euros in the year 2013 GeoPost is currently Europe's second-largest provider of express parcel services.

In Germany DPD is the market leader in national and international B2B parcel services. It has 75 depots country-wide and more than 5,000 DPD ParcelShops, with a workforce of 7,500 and more than 8,000 vehicles in daily operation on behalf of the customers in B2B and B2C parcel shipping.

Press contact:

DPD Dynamic Parcel Distribution GmbH & Co. KG

Peter Rey

PR Officer

Wailandtstraße 1

63741 Aschaffenburg

Tel.:+49 (0) 6021 492-7066