A delivery business has been launched in Plymouth which will use a fleet of electric vehicles to reduce its carbon impact.
Nipii Express is an offshoot of another new company, nipii.co.uk, which links independent traders with customers to provide an alternative to big global players such as Amazon, eBay and Etsy.
Before the pandemic, according to a consumer survey, 35% of people interviewed said they shopped online only or about half in person and half online.
However, the research also showed that increase of online shopping during the pandemic, which reached 75%, is set to continue post-pandemic, with the survey showing 58% of people intend to shop online only or half in person and half online 鈥 an increase of 23% on post pandemic figures.
Leon Theisinger, of Nipii Express, who has launched the new service, said the USA is two or three years ahead of the 海角视频 when it comes to sustainable logistics.
鈥淭hey talk about hyper-local services there, with the idea of 鈥榣ast mile鈥 deliveries being greener and more sustainable,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a natural move. We have heavily invested in our fleet of electric vehicles and its infrastructure, but we were able to access some Government grants to cover some of the cost.
鈥淭he initial investment is higher, but the running costs are much lower 鈥 enabling us to bring down the cost of collection and delivery to businesses and consumers. Most businesses worry about the range of the vehicles, but the reduced costs mean you can run more vans.
鈥淚t has also been cited that the electric vans are better for the driver too and this is important when thinking about the welfare of your drivers,鈥 he added.
鈥淭here has been a big backlash against some major companies who expect drivers to do about 250-270 parcels a day, but at Nipii Express we don鈥檛 talk about deliveries, we look at the 鈥榓ctions鈥 the driver needs to execute 鈥 this includes both collections and deliveries.
鈥淪o, there are a total of around 100 actions per van, which means the pressure is off. The drivers also have a much better working environment, because the vehicles are quieter, easier to drive and have air conditioning and other technical advantages like better route planning.鈥
Mr Theisinger said the 鈥渘ormal delivery system is creaking under the strain鈥 and added: 鈥淎n increase in e-commerce means that the industry has boomed and now it鈥檚 struggling to keep up. The turnover in drivers is huge, as they just can鈥檛 sustain the hours and pressure.
鈥淲e have a sustainable fleet model with industry-leading software that communicates directly with the driver and the customer.
鈥淭his direct communication means that the customer gets a series of text messages before delivery and if they need to communicate with the driver over where to leave a parcel etc, they can.鈥
He said Nipii Express is so versatile it can cater for the consumer who has sold an item on Facebook Marketplace, eBay or other similar selling portals. It can also cater for the retailers who sell through e-commerce and need to get the parcel to their customers, or it can take care of any contract work for larger organisations that need to send parcels and goods across the 海角视频.
Mr Theisinger said: 鈥淏ecause of the way we are doing it 鈥 with the last mile all electric 鈥 the cost is different and we can do a next day parcel up to 15k from just 拢4.16 plus VAT, with the cost coming in even lower for higher volume contracts.
鈥淲e reverse engineered our logistics business, to come up with a more sustainable version of the big delivery carriers and with everyone needing to show they are looking to drive down their carbon footprint, we have the perfect solution.鈥
Nipii Express has a fully automated online quoting and booking portal at nipiiexpress.co.uk, and also offers business customers their own online dashboard for collection, delivery and; management of their logistics needs.
Mr Theisinger said: 鈥淟aunching in our home city of Plymouth, it鈥檚 important to us that we do our bit to make a difference, both to the local economy and the environment. We鈥檙e looking not only to send the right environmental message, but also to set an example for others to follow.鈥
Many independent businesses have already signed up for Nipii, including artisan food and drink producers, crafts, artists, collectables, clothing and more.
