Last mile delivery preferences in Europe

In a 2022 survey carried out by Joom, residents of various European countries were polled on what delivery method they prefer. Among the options were door-to-door with a personal handoff, door-to-door without a personal handoff, post office, pickup point, and parcel locker.

It may seem counterintuitive, but door-to-door delivery is not always the most desirable option. For some, delivery times of “10:00-15:00” (for example) may be inconvenient, as it can be difficult to plan your day around such an unpredictable timeframe. Leaving the package at the door may alleviate that worry somewhat, but not every customer lives in a location that is convenient for this. They may worry about the security of their package sitting out in the open, or they may live in an apartment building where this option is technically infeasible.

Post offices allow customers to pick up their package more or less at their leisure, but there are certainly drawbacks. Business hours for post offices restrict the timeframe for when a customer can pick up their package, and they usually require the customer to present some form of identification, making it inconvenient if they require a third party to pick up the package for them.

Pickup points and postomats are becoming more and more ubiquitous in large, metropolitan cities. These can be found in grocery stores and shopping centers and are often located significantly closer to a customers home. Also, the timeframe for when a customer can pick up their package is more lenient – oftentimes it can be 24 hours a day.

Let’s examine several countries’ preferences.

In Germany and Austria, customers tend to prefer door-to-door delivery with a personal handoff. This entails a courier delivering the goods directly to the hands of the customer – usually requiring a signature. Coming in second is dropping the package off at the door.

Question: Which of these options are you ready to pick up your order with? Multiple options possible. Which option do you prefer? All numbers are %

For customers in Spain, it’s the exact opposite. Dropoff at the door is most popular, while the next most popular is delivery with a personal handoff.

France is unique in this sense, as customers there greatly prefer pickup points. As previously stated, they find them most widespread and convenient in terms of then they can pick their package up (i.e., on their own time).

Whatever your customers prefer, Joom Logistics is able to offer that service. Let us help you deliver your package quickly, conveniently, and in the method that your customers want.