In the Logistics sector, a significant new player – the Zásilkovna delivery service – joined our study in 2019. This brand immediately took the lead in the sector and finished fourth in the Top 100. In 2019, PPL reached the Top 100 as well. The situation in the sector has not changed significantly in the past year, except for Zásilkovna. Most sectors are ranked better than Logistics, with the exception of Utilities and Telecommunications.
The performance of the Logistics sector is particularly hampered by the Time and Effort pillar rating. People expect a parcel to arrive on time and in perfect condition. More so than in other sectors, they are concerned about reliability and deadlines. As soon as their expectations are not met, the score for the Time and Effort pillar declines.
The performance of the Logistics sector is particularly hampered by the Time and Effort pillar rating. People expect a parcel to arrive on time and in perfect condition. More so than in other sectors, they are concerned about reliability and deadlines. As soon as their expectations are not met, the score for the Time and Effort pillar declines.
An obvious weak point in courier services is the actual moment of delivery. A messenger arrives unexpectedly but the customer is not at home, and the courier makes insufficient effort to reach them. The customer has to arrange a new delivery time or go to the logistics centre to pick up the parcel. Additionally, some drivers are less co-operative or helpful (e.g., they do not want to take the package upstairs in a block of flats), thus worsening the sector rating for the Empathy pillar. The situation is different with the market leader – Zásilkovna (average score of 8.14 points). What is the secret of its success?
Zásilkovna gets around the potentially problematic home delivery issue and dispatches goods only to partner pick-up points. This eliminates complicated logistics, and the client knows beforehand they will have to collect the package themselves. In this respect, the brand properly manages customer expectations, boosted by the option to track the shipment online, which customers also appreciate in other brands. Zásilkovna additionally emphasizes the dense network of pick-up points, time availability, and the speed of parcel collection on the spot. Furthermore, the company strives to simplify returns and exchanges as much as possible, improving its Resolution pillar ranking. Since April of 2019, it has been operating a new service, Mezi námi, involving the delivery of parcels between individuals, using Zásilkovna pick-up points. With this service, the brand competes against Česká pošta and other private delivery services.
DHL recorded the greatest improvement between 2017 and 2019 (from an average score of 6.58 to 7.20). The company’s 2020 Strategy could be a contributing factor; under it, DHL took on 10,000 new staff in 2016 and closed the 2016 financial year with record profits. Since February 2017, it has been possible to make payments with DHL couriers using a contactless debit/credit card. In July 2018, the company introduced MyDHL+, which speeds up and simplifies the complicated process of international delivery.
From an intergenerational perspective, satisfaction increases with age in the Logistics sector, too. The least happy are Generation Z clients of Česká pošta; the most satisfied are Older Generation customers of Zásilkovna. The different needs of different generations also influenced satisfaction.
Generation Z consists mostly of those not living with a family, and it is not easy to reach them at home. Price is important for this group. In a town or city, picking up a parcel does not pose much of a problem, but outside urban areas, customers may have to depend on someone else collecting it. Compared with other generations, they often use the UPS delivery service and generally make up a small share of the total number of Česká pošta customers (this applies to the younger generations in general, not only to Generation Z).
The people of Generation Y and Husak’s Children (Generation X) are very busy. A delivery arrangement that falls through causes stress and takes up their time. For them, the opening hours of shops and post offices are a limitation.
Members of the postwar generation are relatively speaking best placed in terms of the time and location of pick-up. But as they get older, it may be a problem for them to go to a pick-up point if the goods are not delivered to their homes.
“DHL brought me a product from an online shop. They contacted me in good time and got it to me almost right to the minute, exactly in line with the date and time specified in delivery information that they sent the same day.” (DHL, Generation Y)
“Because of the higher price of delivery services of Česká pošta (I’m a pensioner), I started using Zásilkovna for picking up goods ordered from online shops. The postage costs are as low as half of those of Česká pošta. And I’ve got a branch of Zásilkovna in my street, so I can pick up a package in minutes, without having to wait in a queue.” (Zásilkovna, Older Generation)
“This parcel delivery service is probably the best. If they don’t reach you, they’ll bring it to you another time. And I can arrange when they will deliver what I’ve ordered, even at night. Really great.” (PPL, Generation X)