E-Commerce Logistics Race...

E-Commerce Logistics Race in Europe: Which Country Performed the Best in Q1 2022?

Aug 02, 2022
E-Commerce Logistics Race in Europe: Which Country Performed the Best in Q1 2022?

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  • Poland had the fastest transit time of 1.09 days in the first quarter of 2022.

  • While France retained the top spot in collection point usage across Europe at 21.43%, there has been a decline since 2021.

  • Poland saw the largest volume growth of 34.26% during peak season 2021.

Over the years, e-commerce logistics has continued to grow in different countries across Europe. Many consumers have adopted e-commerce due to convenience, safety, wide product variety, and door-to-door delivery. Similarly, in the aspect of e-commerce logistics, customers across Europe have continued to enjoy improved and faster delivery experiences, which often leave them extremely satisfied.

What’s more, in our recent studies, we compared the e-commerce logistics performance of two North American neighbors – Canada and the United States (US). In this post, we will be taking a look at key performance indicators for e-commerce logistics between different European countries – Germany, France, and Poland – to determine which nation performed best in the first quarter of 2022.

Poland Had the Fastest Average Transit Time of 1.09 Days in Q1 2022 among the European Countries

Among the European Countries, Poland had the fastest transit time of 1.09 days in the first quarter of 2022. In comparison, Germany and France had transit times of 1.14 days and 1.82 days, respectively. Poland’s transit time of 1.09 days has been a significant improvement from its transit time of 1.4 days for the same period last year.

Furthermore, Poland’s faster transit time can be attributed to its developed sea, rail, road, and air transportation infrastructures, along with the many logistics hubs located across Central Poland. The country also adopted simplified border crossing procedures for e-commerce logistics and trucks, making it quicker and faster to clear and process shipments. In the peak season last year, Poland observed a significantly shorter transit time of 1 day, as compared to its neighbors like France (1.92 days) and Germany (1.2 days).

What’s more, France’s average transit time of 1.82 days in the first quarter of 2022 was quite similar to the country’s transit time of 1.8 days for the same period last year. Conversely, Germany experienced an improvement from its transit time of 1.4 days to 1.14 days in the first quarter of 2021 and 2022, respectively. This has been made possible with more third-party logistics (3PL) companies with warehouses across the country, which in turn reduced the shipping distance and time it takes to get goods to consumers.

France Ranked First in Terms of Collection Point Usage in Europe, Followed by Germany

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries across Europe have turned to collection points for the delivery of e-commerce goods. These collection points allow online shoppers to decide when to pick up or deliver their orders to avoid unnecessary delays.

In the first quarter of 2022, the use of collection points has continued to grow in both Poland and Germany. About 15.73% and 16.96% of parcels were delivered to collection points in Poland and Germany, respectively. While France retained the top spot in collection point usage across Europe at 21.43%, there has been a decline since 2021.

The new Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) regulations in the country have left many French online shoppers frustrated and unable to complete their transactions. According to a recent survey by Signifyd, about 45% of French consumers and 36% of UK shoppers have been unable to buy something online due to the new SCA rules. In fact, another 46% of French consumers have already abandoned merchants as a result of negative online shopping experiences.

While the new SCA rules were designed to protect consumers from fraud when shopping online, the negative experience has left many customers discouraged. Due to the reduced online shopping activities in France, collection point usage across the country was automatically affected in the first quarter of 2022.

Peak Season 2021: Poland Saw the Largest Volume Growth during Peak Seasons 2021

It is no secret that the holiday shopping season is among the periods many online shoppers usually look forward to. A lot of shoppers enjoy taking advantage of huge discounts during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas to get the best deals on various items. Poland saw the largest volume growth of 34.26% during peak season 2021. France and Germany, on the other hand, saw volume growths of 33.38% and 19.40% respectively.

The increase in parcel volumes in Poland is likely due to the introduction of Amazon Prime to Poland. In October 2021, Amazon launched its Amazon Prime service in Poland, offering free delivery and video streaming to subscribers across the country. Prior to the introduction of Amazon Prime, many consumers would abandon their shopping due to shipping fees. Conversely, with the “free shipping” label, consumers across Poland were willing to spend more during the holiday shopping season.

Looking Ahead

In conclusion, countries across Europe did well in improving e-commerce logistics and offering a faster delivery experience to consumers in various countries across the region. More warehouses, logistics centers, and improved transportation networks across Poland and Germany helped both countries achieve faster transit time. As for Poland, the availability of free shipping helped improve volume growth during its peak season last year. However, collection point usage was reduced in France due to the new SCA rules, which made online shopping difficult in the country.

Who do you think performed better from January to March 2022? Perhaps, it may be too soon to determine the best-performing country in e-commerce logistics in Europe. However, early signs and available data indicate that Poland edges out other European countries in the aspect of e-commerce logistics. Regardless, we look forward to seeing how e-commerce logistics evolves in the region in the coming months as inflation and the economic recession continues to hit countries due to the resultant effect of EU sanctions on Russia for their invasion of Ukraine.

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