News

First bol.com and PostNL: thousands of items delivered sustainably within 2 hours

11 September 2018

Success in Amsterdam will lead to expansion to more places in the Netherlands and Belgium

Do you want to receive your products within two hours after ordering and also have them delivered sustainably? As of today, this is a reality for Amsterdam residents. In the capital, bol.com and PostNL are testing an extra fast delivery service. Thousands of popular bol.com items will be delivered to customers within two hours by electric carrier bicycles. By responsibly taking convenience and service to an even higher level, bol.com and PostNL are setting a new standard for online shopping. This partnership shows that the fastest delivery in the Netherlands and sustainability can go hand in hand, even with a wide range of products.

Also offering solutions at the very last moment
Everyone recognizes a similar situation: you’ve just used the last diaper, but your child is finally asleep and you can’t get away. Or the blender breaks down while cooking and your parents-in-law will be at the door in two hours. Bol.com also offers “Delivered within 2 hours” if an item is needed extra quickly. This way, consumers can spend the time they would use for a visit to the physical store on other important things. Loyal bol.com customers with a Select advantage bundle (for €9.99 one year without shipping costs for all delivery options) pay nothing extra for ‘Within 2 Hours Delivered’. Customers without the Select advantage bundle pay 4.99 euros for the environmentally friendly express service.

Expansion from Amsterdam
In the most popular period for online shopping – between 12.00 and 20.00 – customers in the zip code areas listed below will see the option ‘Within 2 hours delivered’. PostNL then delivers up to 22.00 hours. The extra fast delivery option becomes visible once the customer has logged in and is offered in-store every working day. The selected zip codes are linked to the local warehouse in Duivendrecht, southeast of Amsterdam. From there, PostNL delivers the packages to the customer by electric carrier bicycle. After today bol.com and PostNL are gradually expanding the delivery areas in Amsterdam, and if successful, the time period for placing the order will also be extended. Based on the results of the pilot, this service will be rolled out to more locations in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Sustainable convenience
Huub Vermeulen, Managing Director bol.com: “This pilot gives us the opportunity to test how we can help the customer at the very last moment. Whether you want to buy some headphones because you are about to go on vacation, or you need to arrange a birthday gift for that evening, bol.com wants to make it easy for its customers. Together with our partner PostNL we are going to do the 2-hour delivery service on the electric carrier bicycle. We see it as our joint responsibility to meet this customer need as sustainably as possible.”

As the largest online store in the Netherlands and Belgium, bol.com wants to take the lead in making retail more sustainable. “Together with our other sustainable initiatives, this innovative partnership with PostNL contributes to our goal of reducing our direct footprint to 0 grams of Co2 emissions per parcel by 2025,” says Huub Vermeulen. “We know we still have many steps to take to achieve that, but by doing better every day, we are moving closer to a sustainable retail.”

Amsterdam test subjects wanted
With ‘Within 2 hours Delivered’ and the other delivery options Evening Delivery, Sunday Delivery and Delivery within a few hours (Today Delivered/Today Pickup), bol.com wants to offer customers the possibility to have a package delivered practically at any time. In order to test ‘Binnen 2 uur Bezorgd’ in the best possible way and at the same time introduce the first customers to the new service, bol.com is looking for ten testers in Amsterdam who are willing to spend money at bol.com’s expense every working day for a week. The testers, who must live within the A10 ring road and under the IJ river, have the “clean task” of ordering from bol.com for a maximum of 30 euros each day. Of course they may keep the items. In exchange, the testers will share their daily experiences with bol.com. Interested parties can register as of today via the Facebook page of bol.com.

Expansion of zip code areas during pilot:
Phase 1. 1091 – 1098 excl. 1095: going live September 11
Phase 2. 1071 -1079, 1011, 1012, 1015 – 1019, 1095: going live by October 1.
Phase 3. 1051 – 1059: go live no later than November 1.

More information about ‘Binnen 2 uur Bezorgd’ can also be found via bol.com/binnen2uur.

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