Out-of-home delivery: evolving consumer habits and choices to offer

For more than 30 years, Colissimo has supported the growth of e-commerce through the evolution of delivery habits. Our belief is simple: every delivery is a unique experience that must adapt to real consumer behaviour, everyday constraints and expectations in terms of reliability, convenience and sustainability. Choice is a key criterion.

More than 7 out of 10 online shoppers, in France as well as in Europe, say they want to choose their delivery method when making online purchases.

Out-of-home delivery: widely adopted and growing

Out-of-home delivery is used by the vast majority of online shoppers, and its use is increasing:

In France, 8 in 10 households have already collected at least one parcel from a pick-up point. That represents more than 1 in 4 parcels delivered out of home, steadily rising year on year.
In Europe, 1 in 4 parcels is also delivered to a pick-up point, up 4 points in one year.

This growth requires a well-designed network of pick-up points: dense, diverse and suited to the everyday lives of online shoppers, enabling both efficient and responsible delivery.

A Out-of-home network built for online shoppers’ daily needs

The La Poste Group offers the largest network of pick-up points in France and Europe. It includes different types of locations covering the entire territory from major cities to rural areas to meet the real needs of all consumers.
In France, this network includes up to 26,000 pick-up points, including:
• local shops,
• parcel lockers,
• post offices,
• and even neighbour-based pick-up options.

The placement of this network is based on precise geomarketing analysis to position pick-up points:
•    along everyday journeys,
•    in transit locations (stations, car parks, petrol stations, gyms, shopping areas),
•    close to each of your customers.

The aim is to minimise unnecessary individual trips, still often made by car, resulting in more gentle journeys, fewer superfluous emissions and a network recognised as environmentally responsible.

Parcel lockers are gradually gaining ground

Among the different types of pick-up points, parcel lockers are becoming increasingly popular. They appeal thanks to their extended availability and autonomous access, particularly in urban and high-traffic areas.

In 2024:
• 1 in 3 French consumers has already used a parcel locker,
• yet this usage remains limited in actual volumes: only 6% of parcels are currently collected via lockers.

Within the La Poste Group, parcel lockers are deployed where they make the most sense, in complementarity with other pick-up options.
In France, our network includes more than 6,000 parcel lockers, 1,500 of which are equipped with solar panels.

Supporting delivery preferences beyond borders

This approach, centred on choice, also applies internationally.

With Colissimo, you also gain access to Europe’s leading pick-up point network, with more than 95,000 locations, including over 16,000 parcel lockers, across 19 key destinations.

Out-of-home and home delivery: complementary delivery habits

Out-of-home delivery is emerging as a strong trend in delivery habits.

At the same time, 87% of consumers combine different delivery options, alternating between delivery modes. Home delivery remains preferred for its convenience: no travel required, the ability to know precisely when the parcel will be delivered as early as the checkout stage, and the option to reschedule delivery if needed.

At Colissimo, home delivery and out-of-home delivery complement each other to offer your online customers a delivery experience that is efficient, convenient and tailored to every situation.

Sources:
Parcel Usage Panel 2024: Overview of French parcel sending and receiving habits – Ipsos for Colissimo. Sample: 1,419 representative households, covering 79,915 parcels. Fieldwork conducted continuously from 1 January to 31 December 2024.
Delivery Outlook: IFOP for Colissimo – survey of 5,001 respondents representative of the French population aged 15 and over. Fieldwork conducted from 24 January to 5 February 2024.

Thanks to Colissimo, you can offer your customers a simple, flexible delivery solution perfectly aligned with today’s online shopping habits.
For further information, please contact your usual sales representative.

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