GLS first launched its FlexDeliveryService in Germany in September 2012, and since then, it has rolled it out domestically within the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia. The service is provided cross-border between Germany, Austria and Belgium.
FlexDeliveryService provides parcel recipients with advance notification of when a delivery will be made via email or text messages, allowing them to change the delivery time to fit their lifestyle.
With the expansion in France, GLS said French consumers only have to provide their email address or phone number to access the service from participating retailers. Initially the recipient will be provided with an estimated delivery day. Based on where they live, they will then receive an estimated time of delivery, which could be down to a three-hour window. If the delivery time doesn’t suit the recipient, they can then change it via a computer or smartphone. Deliveries can be moved to another date, transferred to an alternative delivery address, sent to a GLS location for collection, or to a person of the recipient’s choice. Recipients can also authorise the delivery of their package to their home address without a signature.
In Germany, GLS has now expanded its Saturday and evening delivery options to a further two cities, Berlin and Munich. GLS said it will gradually roll out evening and Saturday deliveries to other cities in Germany, and additional delivery options are planned.
The Netherlands-based GLS has 14,000 employees and 18,000 vehicles operating across Europe, transporting 404 million packages a year to achieve a EUR 1.96 billion in annual turnover.
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