InPost has signed a strategic agreement with E.Leclerc in France
6 July 2016
The E.Leclerc supermarket chain, a leader in the distribution sector in France, and InPost, which has the largest network of Parcel Machines® in the world, have concluded an agreement to install 900 devices in E.Leclerc shops in France (including 400 by the end of 2016). They will be used not only to receive orders placed in E.Leclerc's own retail storefronts, but also to conveniently receive other parcels.
The collection of parcels from 24/7 automated Parcel Machines® has quickly become a sought-after alternative to traditional delivery methods for orders and parcels. E.Leclerc recognised this shift in customer preferences and decided to partner with InPost to increase the package of benefits offered to customers of its stores and e-commerce sites.
As part of the agreement, the French branch of InPost has committed to supply 400 devices to E.Leclerc stationary shops by the end of 2016. InPost is able to fulfil this demand, as it is the only market player in its segment that is also a manufacturer of Parcel Machines®. Thanks to the agreement, InPost will double its network of Parcel Machines® in France this year alone.
The agreement also marks the gradual integration of InPost's solutions with E.Leclerc's online sales platforms and the opening of Paczkomat® for orders made in the e-shops of individual E.Leclerc shops. Later this year, customers buying the following from E.Leclerc websites: over-the-counter medicines, wines, sporting goods, multimedia and optical products, will be able to use the new service, located in E.Leclerc shops.
"The cooperation between InPost and E.Leclerc shows in practice how we are fulfilling three business promises. For customers, Parcelcells® is the best alternative to traditional collection methods, which are often discouraging in their quality. For online shops, it is a lever to improve conversion rates: high delivery costs and inconvenient delivery methods are common reasons for e-commerce shopping cart abandonment. Finally, for traditional shops, the Parcel Machine® is a way to attract new customers: once they have visited the supermarket to pick up a parcel, chances are they will go inside to buy some essential products on occasion." - Olivier Binet, Managing Director of InPost France, analyses.
"As part of the development of the multi-channel delivery strategy by the E. Leclerc, offering our customers the possibility to have their purchases, whatever they may be, delivered at our outlets was a necessary step. We are therefore delighted with the partnership with InPost, as it expands the range of our services." - comments Thierry Aumont, responsible for Internet strategies at GALEC.
The agreement with E.Leclerc is a major step towards InPost's business goal: to have 2,000 devices in France by the end of 2018. This target was set based on the shopping maturity of the French market: over the past year, up to 91 per cent. French people have made a purchase online. The reason to think positively about meeting this target is the bad feedback and complaints from customers about the problems that traditional delivery methods were causing. They no longer met customers' needs in terms of price and quality. Research done for InPost in France indicated that 55 per cent of e-customers considered picking up a parcel at the post office to be a waste of time, and 91 per cent wished that parcel pick-up could be done with some other activity, such as everyday shopping (source: "Delivery time , survey conducted by Opinionway on behalf of InPost, March 2015).
E.Leclerc has 652 own shops and 499 affiliated shops in France, making it the leader of the distribution sector in the country. In 2015, the company recorded a turnover of €35.6 billion (excluding fuel sales), giving it a 20.2% market share.
