Every year, some shoppers meet the festive season without having received the Christmas presents they bought. When shopping online, we often don’t think about the long journey goods make from the e-shop to the recipient. So what can we do to make sure our purchases arrive on time, and how can we avoid the other, often annoying, circumstances that arise when collecting parcels?
The golden rule is to shop early
“According to our data, around 73% of the population typically shop online at least a couple of times a month. They are attracted by lower prices or more frequent discounts. At the moment, with the start of the discount boom, both retailers and parcel delivery services face the challenge of ensuring smooth operation and not disappointing their customers,” says Karolis Kanapinskas, Head of Logistics, Venipak Lithuania.
So what can we do to make sure our holidays aren’t ruined by delayed gifts? According to Kanapinskas, the first thing to do is to plan the purchases in advance. According to Venipak, this year more than a third (39%) of the population will look for the best deals and discounts already having their shopping list.
“The statistics are very positive. By buying in advance, consumers give themselves time to find suitable alternatives if, for example, the product they want is out of stock or arrives faulty. It is also less likely that the locker units will be full, so you will have a much smoother collection process,” says Venipak’s representative.
Karolis Kanapinskas
Customers will receive their parcels on time
When asked how Venipak are going manage the increased parcel flows this year, Kanapinskas assures that last year Venipak succeeded in streamlining the processes so that parcels reached the customers on time and there were no queues at the parcel lockers, therefore this year the company will continue to apply the same good practice.
“We have 251 locker units in Lithuania and an additional 175 pickup points. Thanks to technology, we monitor the occupancy of parcel lockers in real time and fill them several times a day, sometimes even more often. However, if it happens that a parcel does not fit in the locker, we leave it in our partner’s shop, which is located in the same shopping centre where the locker unit is”, he explains.
This way, the company prevents the common inconvenience of having to redirect a parcel that does not fit in a locker to another pickup point that is not necessarily the most convenient for the customer. Experienced couriers are also a great help to the organisation in dealing with the increased number of shipments during this period. According to Venipak’s representative, a considerable number of Venipak’s couriers have 5 and even 10 years of experience, and deliver parcels quickly and smoothly.
Adapting to the customer’s expectations
Although couriers do their best to ensure that the parcel reaches the recipient undamaged, in some cases when you buy online, damage may occur. If so, Kanapinskas advises not to accept the parcel.
“If you receive a parcel in damaged packaging, you should not accept it. Tell the courier that you will not accept the parcel and they will contact their managers and the goods will be returned to the sender. On the other hand, if we notice that the packaging of a parcel is damaged before it leaves the parcel terminal, we always proactively contact the sender. In most cases, it is enough to repackage it and deliver it to the customer. If a parcel is damaged during delivery, it is not delivered to the recipient, the customer is informed and the problem is resolved. Fortunately, such cases are extremely rare”, explains Kanapinskas.
Quite often when choosing door-to-door delivery, customers forget that the courier has to arrive on the specified date. Urgent things happen as well. So what should you do in this case?
Requesting a courier to deliver your parcel to a different address is possible. Venipak’s staff usually take the customer’s situation into account and, if the updated address does not significantly interfere with the courier’s route, the parcel is delivered to the recipient the same day. If that is not possible, the redirected parcel will reach the recipient on the next working day or will be delivered to the post office of your choice. According to Kanapinskas, it is important to communicate with the courier and you will definitely escape unpleasant situations.
