Brussels, 22/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - High prices and inefficient cross-border parcel delivery services are putting people off from purchasing or selling online. This was revealed in two documents published on Tuesday 22 December by the European Commission, in the context of its strategy for a digital single market.
The first study was carried out by the University of St Louis and demonstrates that it can cost much more to send a parcel or letter in another European Union country than within a country's own borders. The costs of a letter are 3 times as much (324%) and 5 times as much (471%) for a parcel. The second document provides a brief initial analysis of the results from the public consultation on parcel deliveries. This consultation was carried out between 6 May-5 August 2015 and 361 responses were received: 211 came from consumers, 64 from retailers, 35 from parcel services (among which 21 were national postal operators) and 51 organisations, member states and regulators.
The first results from the public consultation. The Commission confirms that the high price of deliveries constitutes a significant barrier to retailers and consumers. The former believe that the price of cross-border deliveries should be cheaper than what they are at the current time and that they should be compatible to the prices applied for domestic deliveries. They also assert that they are being put off by the difficulty of following and tracking products and the sluggish delivery times. Consumers assert that they would purchase more online if delivery prices were cheaper. They particularly highlight the lack of flexibility involving delivery dates and destinations. They also suggest that free deliveries, more practical return procedures and improved information would be welcome. Parcel services highlight interoperability problems. They call for more competition and believe that new rules would increase costs without bringing real benefits. They subsequently call for improved implementation of the provisions contained in the postal services directive.
Currently, 44% of consumers purchase online in their own countries but only 15% make online orders in other member states. According to the Commission, European consumers could save €11 billion every year if they had chosen from a comprehensive range of products and services on the Internet. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)