With On Demand Delivery, shippers can choose to activate specific delivery options and have DHL Express proactively notify their customers via email or SMS about a shipment’s progress. Receivers can then select the delivery option that best suits their requirements via the On Demand Delivery mobile-optimized website. DHL Express couriers will be notified of these delivery preferences in real-time, ensuring shipments are received at the right time and to the convenience of the receiver.

“Online shopping has become increasingly popular in Hong Kong. DHL strives to make it more flexible for you to choose parcel delivery methods when you are away from home. With On Demand Delivery, we offer local consumers a hassle-free experience in cross-border online shopping with more flexible and reliable shipping options, while helping retailers around the world to go the extra mile for customers and expand their footprint globally,” said Herbert Vongpusanachai, Managing Director, Hong Kong and Macau, DHL Express.

He continued: “The service combines our digital and last-mile capabilities to meet consumers’ needs, as well as on behalf of cross-border e-tailers who may otherwise lack the local infrastructure and visibility to deliver to all their customers’ requirements. We aim to enhance the service through extending our partnerships with local retail outlets and shopping malls to enhance the coverage of designated collection points in the city.”

As consumers are getting more and more reliant on mobile devices, a mobile-friendly digital platform for delivery management like On Demand Delivery is crucial for retailers to accommodate the special needs of their customers. To cater to the demand of local online shoppers who do not want to miss a delivery when away from home, On Demand Delivery enables shipments of any customs value to be sent to alternate addresses or stored temporarily at designated collection points. In the first stage, these include designated 7-Eleven stores across the city, DHL Lockers at MegaBox shopping mall in Kowloon Bay, Sheung Tak Plaza under Link REIT in Tseung Kwan O, and the DHL Service Point in Lai Chi Kok. Should the customer be on vacation, shipments can be put on hold and delivered at a later specified date. The reliable and speedy delivery which completes the customers’ online shopping experience will also help increase the customer satisfaction of cross-border e-tailers.

On Demand Delivery is now available across Asia Pacific — including Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand — and will be in more than 100 countries and available in 45 languages globally by the end of 2017, accounting for the majority of global trade and online retail activity. DHL Express was named Last-Mile Provider of the Year for 2016 by Supply Chain Asia, having introduced a range of more convenient delivery options including partnerships with retail locations hosting DHL Service points and the installation of DHL Lockers.