5 Best Parcel Couriers in the United Kingdom

Fulfilment companies and couriers are the bedrock of the eCommerce industry. These service providers ensure that consumers receive their precise orders in time while minimising damages and returns. However, with the plethora of fulfilment companies and parcel couriers in the UK, finding a provider better adjusted to your needs can be difficult, especially when you don’t know what qualities to look for. 

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Introducing Bezos

Bezos is a comprehensive logistics provider that’ll help you identify the qualities you need in a parcel courier. We handle everything from order picking to its final delivery, and our partnerships with reputable UK parcel couriers make these processes seamless. It is because we work with these reputable parcel couriers that we possess seasoned knowledge of the differentiating qualities between a mediocre parcel courier and an excellent one. Here’s all you need to know about choosing a parcel courier in the UK. 

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Qualities of the Best Parcel Couriers in the UK

With the abundance of parcel couriers in the UK, knowing what traits to look out for will help you make an informed decision. Here are some qualities that the best parcel couriers in the United Kingdom have in common:

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1. Prompt and reliable deliveries

Parcel couriers do more than just deliveries, but from the perspective of the consumers, this is their most important service offering. In this line of business, time-based qualities like punctuality and reliability are of the utmost importance. No one wants a courier that delivers parcels outside the delivery window. This act disrespects customers’ schedules, especially when late deliveries disrupt their lives. 

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In addition to time efficiency, reliability is a non-negotiable quality for your potential parcel courier. Reliable couriers foster trust between your customers and your brand. Just like their inadequacies reflect that of your business. Hence, your chosen courier needs to operate with minimal errors to mitigate the occurrence of lost packages or returns due to damages during transit. 

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2. Customer service

Inquiries and complaints are a given in the fulfilment and courier niche. Hence, what separates a great parcel courier company from a sub-par one is customer service. Your customers will also be dealing with the parcel couriers, so you must choose one that treats each corporate or individual client with respect. 

Excellent customer service lies in listening, understanding and taking the necessary steps to prioritise your customers’ needs. To achieve this, patience, friendliness and swift responses should be qualities you seek in a parcel courier. Also, with today’s digitisation, you’ll need a parcel courier with a strong online presence. This way, your customers can easily reach out to your chosen parcel courier from any social platform for a quick response. 

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3. Extensive coverage

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Rather than a source for a new parcel courier every time you want your eCommerce brand to explore other markets, you can stick to the best parcel couriers in the UK, as geographical locations don’t limit them. You need a courier with extensive fulfilment networks and reliable links in diverse cities, hamlets and countries. Luckily, the best couriers have extensive coverage; through them, your business can establish and maintain a client base internationally. 

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4. Comprehensive and customisable services

Order fulfilment and parcel courier services are best when they’re customisable to accommodate the uniqueness of each eCommerce brand or customer. Hence, while sub-par parcel couriers offer a cookie-cutter approach, the best ones adapt to each requirement of the brand or customer. 

For a parcel courier company, this could mean extensive delivery options like same-day delivery, green delivery, standard free next-day delivery, etc. It could also mean a tracking system for all goods, regardless of their value or the inexistence of minimum order volumes. 

Ideally, the best parcel courier companies in the UK allow their eCommerce clients to select their preferred services according to their company’s unique offerings. 

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5. Transparency

While customers want their parcels delivered safely and on time, they also appreciate fair and transparent pricing. Superior courier services maintain a balance between the quality of services offered and the prices charged. Moreover, full transparency is key. Hidden costs can cause customer dissatisfaction, robbing your eCommerce brand of consumer loyalty. 

A great courier will offer contracts with clear pricing details, free of hidden fees or integration fees from the outset. These contracts can be long or short-term, depending on the eCommerce brand’s preference. It’s worth noting that the UK’s best parcel couriers won’t coerce or blackmail clients into settling for crippling long-term contracts. 

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6. Technological advancement

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Technology aims to simplify strenuous processes and activities in today’s society. In the fulfilment and parcel courier niche, sophisticated technologies like advanced AI, machine learning software or API integrations would automate several parcel courier activities. Their integration would also offer more transparency to the customers, yielding consumer loyalty. 

Innovative technologies in the courier space increase productivity and flatline error-induced losses. They also enable eCommerce brands to scale, so they should be a criterion for choosing a UK parcel courier. 

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UK’s Best Parcel Courier Companies

The best fulfilment providers have their affiliate parcel couriers, which execute the last stage of an order’s fulfilment: delivery. Hence, regarding the previously explained qualities, the UK’s best parcel couriers are affiliated with the following fulfilment companies:

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1. Bezos

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Bezos is a comprehensive fulfilment company that works with parcel couriers to tick all the boxes. In a short time, this company has become the industry’s front-runner as it constantly redefines the parcel delivery landscape. Using groundbreaking technology consisting of API integration compatibility and advanced artificial intelligence, Bezos deploys delivery accuracy, speed and efficiency. This technology also permits us to automate multiple eCommerce logistics processes as our advanced algorithms help route parcels, dramatically reducing delivery times. 

With 63 fulfilment centres in 17 countries, including the United Kingdom, Bezos will help you deliver happiness to your local and international customers, regardless of their remote locations. Our customer service rating exceeds others as each client is assigned a dedicated accounts manager with an average response ticket time of two hours. Bezos encourages individuals and eCommerce companies to choose from our comprehensive services, which we’ll customise accordingly. This isn’t all; with the predictive capabilities of our Bezos Seller Portal, we can preempt fulfilment and delivery obstacles like inventory shortages and devise solutions in real-time.

In addition to our tech prowess and compatibility with 57 sales channels, Bezos offers full transparency in its dealings. Our real-time tracking and surveillance system keeps customers informed at every supply chain step. Furthermore, our sustainable business model, which includes electric vehicles (green delivery), provides an environmentally conscious alternative for parcel deliveries. Request a free quote to get started. 

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2. Royal Mail

With 1.7 billion parcels delivered in the 2021 fiscal year, Royal Mail might just be the UK's most popular fulfilment company. With over five centuries in business, this provider has worked with the best parcel couriers in the company so much that it is nicknamed the ‘granddaddy’ of courier services. A 2022 Statista survey revealed that 55% of respondents preferred Royal Mail for sending and receiving parcels. Let’s find out why.

First, Royal Mail has multiple delivery options that cater to different budgets and needs. It has an extensive fulfilment network and can deliver anywhere within and outside the UK. This network and its widespread post offices make deliveries and drop-offs easy and convenient. 

However, while Royal Mail offers customisable services, being such a large fulfilment company, customers experience longer wait times when filing complaints or enquiries. Also, while Royal Mail has revealed its need for AI to increase productivity, the courier company has no rollout plans as of 2023. 

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3. DPD

In the 2022 Statista survey mentioned above, 61% of UK respondents voted DPD as their preferred fulfilment service. Why? Maybe it’s because of its affiliated courier services that cover local and international deliveries and order fulfilment. 

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Dynamic Parcel Distribution, DPD, is one of the UK’s leading logistics companies. This fulfilment company is well-known for its real-time tracking, excellent customer service and one-hour delivery window. With its innovative delivery solutions, which include real-time tracking and a one-hour delivery window, DPD ensures that eCommerce companies never miss a delivery. 

Another great trait that DPD has is its commitment to carbon-neutral deliveries. Thus, this logistics company gives eco-conscious brands and individuals a chance to deliver to their customers without negatively impacting the planet.

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4. FedEx

FedEx, the renowned global logistics company with decades in operation, has firmly established itself as a reliable logistics company in the United Kingdom, primarily because it works with the best delivery couriers. With its extensive courier networks and commitment to customer satisfaction, FedEx offers a comprehensive range of customisable services to individuals and eCommerce businesses. 

FedEx has diverse shipping options; businesses and individuals can ship anything from documents to packages or freight. The company even offers multiple delivery options like overnight, same-day, etc. One of the best perks of choosing this parcel courier is its range of specialised solutions, like delicate or temperature-controlled shipping, which typically applies to perishable goods. FedEx also applies advanced surveillance technologies to its deliveries so customers can track and monitor the progress of their packages in real time. 

However, as much as FedEx offers a seamless customer experience, its response time for customer complaints and enquiries exceeds two hours. This leaves customers feeling unanswered and neglected for hours on end. 

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5. UPS

The list of fulfilment companies with the best parcel couriers would be incomplete without the revered United Postal Service. UPS is a global logistics leader specialising in parcel deliveries, freight shipping and other logistics services. With its extensive network of post offices and couriers, UPS operates globally, so individuals and companies can send and receive packages locally and internationally. 

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UPS has amazing features like real-time tracking of deliveries from start to finish, insurance for goods, robust customer support, etc. However, compared with the parcel couriers affiliated with Bezos, UPS falls short in affordability, rural deliveries, size and weight limitations and environmental impact. 

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Why You Should Choose Bezos

Bezos is a highly-rated logistics solutions provider that offers world-class parcel delivery services within and outside the UK. We are AI-enabled, environmentally conscious, reliable and transparent in all our dealings. Bezos guarantees swift deliveries, batch tracking and many other benefits. Our Seller Portal is fully-integrable with 57 sales channels like Amazon, eBay, WooCommerce, etc., which is 52 more than what traditional 3PLs can accommodate. 

One of the best perks Bezos offers its partnering eCommerce brands is excellent savings. These companies get to save £1 to £2 per delivery, regardless of the value-added services, which are also customisable. We’re also big on customer service, assigning each client a dedicated accounts manager who works tirelessly to meet all your needs. 

Convinced? Speak to our experts. 

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How to Get Started on Bezos

In these four easy steps, your eCommerce brand can access the amazing courier services that Bezos offers: 

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Step 1: Register

To access our unique offerings, you’ll need an account with us. Visit our website and get started with the straightforward account registration process. During this step, essential information about your business will be required. 

Step 2: Ship your inventory

To ensure lightning-fast deliveries, send your inventory to any of our 63 fulfilment centres in 17 countries! We have quite a few in the United Kingdom. You can ship us your inventory in several ways. 

Step 3: Integrate your sales channels

Ecommerce businesses can integrate their sales channels with the Bezos Seller Portal, which they can access upon registration. This portal acts like a two-way mirror as it helps us see orders made on your online store to facilitate their fulfilment. 

Step 4: Go live!

Once steps 1 to 3 are complete, in as little as 72 hours, your Bezos account will be up and running. Our automated systems and skilled experts will work tirelessly to fulfil your orders without missing a beat.

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Conclusion

Becoming the best parcel courier in the UK isn’t just about delivering packages from point A to B. It’s about providing a seamless service, prioritising customer needs, maintaining transparency, embracing adaptability, staying innovative and striving for sustainability. As online sales continue to grow, the demand for quality courier services is rising. Luckily, Bezos can handle this demand spike even as we satisfy these criteria and much more. Get a free quote today!