DHL Express Expects Historical Peak Season in Global Trade

DHL Express expects unprecedented online shopping and shipping volumes during the upcoming peak season 2020.

The continuing growing levels of globalization and digitalization result in strongly increasing number of merchants selling globally and online marketplaces, such as shopping apps via which customers can choose from offerings all around the world.

As a consequence, cross border trade has continuously grown over the last years. Further, due to this year’s predominating uncertainties coming with the pandemic, consumers are shifting their shopping activities to the online world like never before.

This will particularly apply to the upcoming popular mega shopping days such as ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’ as well as to the whole Christmas shopping season.

As a result, DHL Express is expecting an all-time high in e-commerce trade around the globe. Having already experienced around 35% e-commerce volume growth in 2020 in its network, the upcoming peak season will further accelerate this and result in higher shipment quantities above 50% compared to last year’s peak season.

For its over 100,000 employees around the world in more than 220 countries and territories DHL Express has taken numerous precaution measures, not only at the level of providing face masks and disinfections, but also implementing elements like social distancing control mechanism and working from home for those departments where it is suitable.

The company has also developed safe delivery procedures for receivers, without the need for customers to sign for their shipments. All of this secures the continuity of business for DHL’s customers and for global trade.

Numbers from the most important shopping occasions from earlier this year have already shown an increase in online sales by at least 35%.

Michiel Greeven, EVP Global Sales at DHL Express said: “Covid-19 and its impacts such as curfews or distancing led to massive changes in the retail sector all over the world.

"From an e-commerce perspective some might even say that Covid-19 brought 2030 to 2020, with online shopping and the necessary shipping as the new normal. And this not only counts for B2C retailers but also in the light of B2B E-commerce.

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"Particularly in current days of uncertainty many giant stores will be going online with their sales promotion. This will have its effect on peak season as well and shoppers will be mainly going online to get the best deals instead of going to physical stores. With the result of fast shipping needs as well.”

To be prepared DHL Express globally hired more than 10,000 new employees.

Travis Cobb, EVP Global Network Operations and Aviation at DHL Express sad: “We annually invest approximately one billion Euros to meet our customers’ requirements and ship their goods with the fastest possible transit times – all around the world.

"Even in times of a second wave of the global pandemic we will ensure that our customer’s businesses continue, and that global trade is secure.”

DHL Express has also increased the number of its daily flights significantly. This year only the company already put four new wide body aircraft of the model B777 F in operations, two more units are expected in the next month.

These six additional aircraft enable the company to carry out more than 3,000 additional intercontinental flights per year.

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