Dive Brief:

• DHL is expanding operations at two of its New York City facilities, as it deals with "the continual rise of international e-commerce," the logistics provider said in a press release.
• DHL has invested $10 million in a Long Island City service center, which processes 3,000 packages per hour. The other expansion is in a foot courier facility in Manhattan, which handles small flier packs and documents.
• The logistics provider touts earlier deliveries and increased convenience for its customers as a result of the investments. 

Dive Insight:

I joked with the UPS driver recently making a Saturday delivery to my suburban home, reminiscing about the "old days" when he had Saturday off. He laughed and mentioned that this was just the start of what was coming.

The very next day I joked with the postal carrier that was delivering an Amazon package to my home on a Sunday, reminiscing about the "old days" when he has Sunday off. The eye roll and a dash down my driveway also sent me a clear indication that things were indeed changing.

But then it hit me — I was the reason for the weekend deliveries. So were my neighbors, and the folks across town, across the state and across the country.

Our point-and-click economy, with its associated rapid fulfillment requirements, has driven logistics to the forefront in the era of e-commerce. Companies are now competing on the fulfillment process as much as on product selection, quality and cost. Parcel delivery carriers are the ultimate supplier on this battle to gain and keep customers.

I placed an order with a e-commerce clothing site this week and the ordering process was flawless. I had an acknowledgement in my inbox within seconds. But a day went by without an advanced shipping notice, so I contacted the company about a potential ship date. I was told to be patient and that my order was in process and I would be notified about the shipment when it shipped.

As a logistics guy, this made me a bit squeamish.

A day later I received the e-mail that the package had indeed been shipped via FedEx. But the shipping notice gave me the tracking number and a link to FedEx. Yes, it was only two clicks to watch my package move up the East Coast, but almost every other company has it integrated into their shipping notices.

The delivery was flawless and I have placed another order. Still, I think they have some work to do about their process.

DHL’s expansion of its express service and Amazon’s threat to enter the parcel delivery business are indicators of the importance of this lucrative logistics segment. But I don’t need to read the analysts reports to see that. I see the truck traffic on my once quiet street to see that my neighbors have been busy.

No wonder my home network is slow these days.