According to a 2022 survey by Statista, 61 percent of respondents from the United Kingdom rated DPD as the best parcel delivery provider in their country. 55 percent rated the longstanding UK based courier company, Royal Mail, which was publicly owned until 2015, as the best UK parcel delivery provider.
Despite its popularity with consumers, Royal Mail was only the second most commonly listed delivery option by retailers in the country. It was bested by Germany based Hermes Group, which also operates in Italy, Austria, Russia, and China.
Best ecommerce delivery service providers in the UK in 2023
- DPD – UK’s leading parcel delivery brand. With our extensive UK network and unrivalled ground based service to Europe
- Amazon Logistics – provides a technology and logistics platform that empowers local and regional delivery companies across the UK to deliver Amazon parcels to customers.
- DPD Local uses the same technology as DPD. As the name suggests, it focuses on providing a local service
- Royal Mail – British multinational postal service and courier company, originally established in 1516 as a government department
- Parcelforce Worldwide is an express parcel delivery company for business and consumer parcels, delivering across the UK and Worldwide
- CollectPlus is a network of locations made up of thousands of newsagents, convenience stores, supermarkets and petrol stations, so wherever you are, there’s a good chance that a Collect+ store is nearby.
- DHL offers fast parcel delivery service. Next day delivery across the UK, with European and worldwide delivery from 2-3 days.
- UPS is one of the largest global shipping & logistics companies worldwide. Ships domestic & international deliveries.
- Fedex UK offers domestic and international shipping
- APC Overnight claims to be UK’s largest parcel delivery network with over 100 independent, entrepreneurial delivery and collection specialists.
How to Pick the Right Parcel Delivery Company for eCommerce in the UK?
While most online retailers mainly take fast delivery and a cheap price into consideration when choosing a parcel shipping service provider, one should never forget about the customers’ needs and wants. Now, what is the most important characteristic to look for? Unfortunately, there is no one-fits-all solution for every e-commerce company. Every webshop owner has to find the best fitting solution for his or her unique company.
Some of the multiple factors that should be considered are
- Who is the target group
- What details do online shoppers look for (delivery times, shipping costs and time in business days, duties and tax)
- How many parcels are shipped per month
- What products are shipped
- Are products shipped within the UK or shipped across Europe
- What are the company’s priorities – time, safety, money, sustainability
