Sustainable quick service from bol.com in national media
Items delivered within two hours of ordering? For Amsterdammers, this became a reality in 2018. Bol.com started testing an extra fast delivery service together with PostNL. This fast service of course deserved media attention. Point of attention: fast delivery in itself is not unique. The key, in our view, was the sustainable aspect. It is often assumed that faster faster faster is not compatible with sustainability, but bol.com and PostNL prove otherwise with smart logistics. The packages are delivered within two hours by electric carrier bicycle! This way bol.com sets a new standard for online shopping.
Approach: press event for a select group
In collaboration with bol.com we organized a press event at the warehouse where the electric carrier bicycles leave. This way we gave a select group of key media a glimpse of the logistical process that goes hand in hand with delivery within two hours. News, trade and lifestyle media were alerted to this first by means of press releases and personal contact.
Result: a wide range of publicity
The approach caught on as hoped. National and Amsterdam news media, economic media, and trade media in the retail and e-commerce sectors all paid attention to the news. From news items and reports, such as in NRC, to interviews with bol.com CEO Huub Vermeulen on paper and in the NPO Radio 1 program Spraakmakers; everything passed in review. A great start to making the service known to a larger audience.
Joost Morel, PR Consultant
“By formulating a clear CSR ambition – in 2025 the CO2 emissions must be reduced to 0 grams per parcel – and working towards this step-by-step with sustainable innovations, bol.com shows that sustainable e-commerce is feasible. Due to the volume of bol.com, these innovations also have a direct impact. In this PR project, we emphasized the fact that further sustainability and faster delivery do not have to cancel each other out. And we referred to the sustainable ambition in the long term. In sustainability communication, it is always essential to state which larger goal this sustainable step serves.”
