The promise 'Ordered today, delivered tomorrow' causes distribution centres a lot of unnecessary night work. GroenLinks and the CDA believe that next-day delivery should not be the default option; consumers can usually wait a bit longer for their parcels.
This is what MPs Wim-Jan Renkema (GroenLinks) and Rene Peters (CDA) say to BNR. Renkema wants the preferred option offered by online shops to customers to change. In that case, fulfilment would no longer have to take place at night. The MP calls it remarkable that consumers often have to pay extra if they prefer to receive the package within three or four days.
'Next day delivery often unnecessary'
Peters of the CDA agrees. If next-day delivery is no longer the default option, there is a good chance that consumers will realise that they really don't need it tomorrow, Peters believes.
Industry-wide approach
The parties acknowledge that it is difficult for webshops to simply implement this in a highly competitive market. The two therefore advocate an industry-wide approach. "I can imagine that if you make night work more expensive for employers, it is less interesting for webshops to offer that as a first option," said Renkema. The GroenLinks MP wants Social Affairs state secretary Tamara van Arik to start talks with interested parties to adjust the preferred option.
