"We put our customers first"

Why is DHL Parcel launching a shopping portal?

Ingo Bohlken: Because we put our customers first. The main advantage of MeinPaket.de is that it offers safety and trustworthiness for Internet shoppers, something that many mail-order customers have been looking for a long time. According to the Bundesverband des Deutschen Versandhandels (bvh, Federal Association of Mail-Order Businesses in Germany), some 71 percent of all mail order customers placed their orders online this year. Yet, many customers are still hesitant to order through the Internet. One of the reasons for this is that they are cautious about disclosing personal data and bank details. Complicated procedures for returning shipments add to their reluctance in some cases. As the logistics partner of the mail order business, DHL Parcel plays a central role and consumers expect us to deliver a high degree of reliability and excellent quality. In keeping with this, MeinPaket.de is our way of bringing this value proposition to life for Internet buyers and offering our customers even more convenient services.

Years ago, Deutsche Post already offered a shopping portal of its own named Evita? What's novel about MeinPaket.de?

Ingo Bohlken: Evita only allowed users to compare prices. Customers ordered directly from the respective shops rather than make their purchase via our platform. And that is exactly the difference. MeinPaket.de offers access to a multitude of small and medium-sized retailers. Users can access them by registering through a single login managed by DHL. The tremendous benefit for our customers is that they will no longer need to register with individual shops. At the same time, our platform offers them total transparency and control of the shipment, since all functions that DHL customers already know and appreciate are also available. A simple click of their mouse allows customers to track their shipment, which can be delivered to one of 2,500 Packstations. We offer a convenient solution for shipments needing to be returned. And everything is integrated into one account and easy to find.

And what is the benefit for retailers?

Ingo Bohlken: MeinPaket.de offers retailers an easy way to offer and sell their products at fair conditions. We provide a comprehensive service package, from management to billing to insurance against shortfalls in payment. What is more, items offered are presented in an attractive high-value environment enhanced with a wide range of editorial content, such as test and trend reports. Contrary to other shopping platforms we are taking a cross-media approach. In addition to the online portal we are approaching further customers by mailing them a printed customer magazine. This is intended to enable us to gain access to target groups that are less Internet savvy, such as consumers above the age of 50. The customer magazine facilitates access to online shopping through MeinPaket.de by covering a variety of different topics and introducing our product offerings.    

In your view, what is it that makes Deutsche Post DHL so successful?

Ingo Bohlken: Our message is clear: "Easy. Anytime. Anywhere." We offer the best quality on the market. Our greatest strength is that we make things as simple as possible for shippers and consignees alike. After all, we know exactly what our customers need. Top quality, simplicity of use, country-wide coverage, continuous product enhancement - nobody does it better. Due to many years of cooperation with our partners, we have established ourselves as a trustworthy partner offering user-friendly standard products and a closely knit network. We are also the innovation leader of our sector. After all, E-commerce is all about being ahead of the curve and knowing today what solutions our customers will require tomorrow. MeinPaket.de once again impressively underscores our leadership position.