Italian couriers for e-commerce: which is the best?

Choosing a courier for an ecommerce business is a delicate and very important decision.
Choosing the best courier for your online store can really make the difference. Logistics is becoming increasingly competitive and every carrier offers unique, tailor-made services, such as express deliveries or returns management.

At Sendcloud, shipping is what we know best, and we know this very well. That's why we decided to write this article: to help you choose the best courier for your ecommerce.

We'll start with an overview of the best Italian couriers for ecommerce, or rather, those that operate in our country. Here's the list:

• DHL

• BRT

• GLS

• TNT

• Poste Italiane

• UPS

• InPost

• Nexive (now Poste Italiane)

• SDA (now Poste Italiane)

But that's not all. We'll cover everything related to couriers, including shipping costs. If you're interested in one of the following topics, you can click on the title and go directly to the relevant chapter:

• Italian couriers for ecommerce: what you need to know before starting your research

• Italian couriers for ecommerce: here's how to make the right choice

• Overview of Italian and non-Italian couriers

• Italian couriers for bulky shipments and pallets

• Couriers for ecommerce operating in Italy: which one is used the most?

• The solution for integrating Italian couriers and efficiently managing your shipments

So let's find out together how to choose the best ecommerce courier for your business.

There are several aspects to evaluate for each one and, above all, you need to consider your business: for example, do you deal with bulky shipments or pallets? Let's do a thorough analysis.

Italian couriers: analysis before choosing for your ecommerce

Before you start looking for the shipping service best suited to your online store, make sure you:

1. Determine how many orders you ship monthly

2. Establish your "boundaries": do you only ship domestically, or do you also ship abroad?

3. Plan properly to avoid excessive shipping costs

4. Understand your customers' needs

5. Set realistic goals

6. Decide whether to offer a choice of more than one courier for delivery

It's important to know your shipping volume and where you ship to. These elements are essential for choosing the best courier for your ecommerce.

Setting a budget will help you avoid losses or missed earnings.

If the products you ship have thin profit margins, you'll need to make sure shipping costs don't become a burden. Did you know, for example, that shipping costs are very often set based on volumetric weight?

On the other hand, not all couriers are the same and they don't all offer the same services, such as cash on delivery shipments.

These services can really make a difference in improving your conversion rate and therefore increasing your ecommerce sales.

Finally, if the delivery experience is negative, many customers won't come back to shop at your ecommerce. In fact, there's a risk they'll leave you a negative review.

Couriers for ecommerce: here's how to make the right choice

Once you've determined the above, you'll have a clearer idea of what your online store needs in terms of shipping services.

And you'll be able to comfortably start the process of researching a courier for your ecommerce. Thorough research ensures you can offer the best to your customers.

You can also have more than one contract with a courier, and offer your customers the chance to choose.

This option will certainly be appreciated, and your customers will be more inclined to complete their purchase.

Another key element, which can be offered to optimize checkout, is pickup at a physical location.

This option will certainly be appreciated by your customers, who will feel "pampered" by your purchasing and shipping options.

So why give up the chance to have happy customers?

Everything you need to know about Italian (and non-Italian) couriers

Now that we've laid the groundwork, it's time to get to know the ecommerce couriers operating in our country better.

Below is the complete list of Italian couriers so you can compare their shipping services.

DHL

DHL is one of the industry's giants, with a name known in 220 countries and a workforce of 380,000 employees. It has its own fleet of transport vehicles, from electric cargo bikes to more than 250 operational aircraft worldwide. In Italy, the DHL service – of very high quality – is highly appreciated, even though its prices are higher than the competition's.

Costs: Domestic rates start at €23.11 + VAT, a cost above average but well rewarded with punctuality, speed and attention to detail.

Services: like all high-end companies, the freight services offered are comprehensive and customizable. It's therefore not hard to find the one best suited to your shipping needs.

These cover both pickup and delivery timing and the type of shipment itself, with domestic and international express shipping services, delivery at a set time, door-to-door, and services for bulky shipments by land and sea.

Some examples of the services offered by DHL are:

• DHL SAMEDAY SPRINTLINE - urgent same-day road delivery with a dedicated vehicle and driver. Delivery in the shortest possible time or on a set day.

• DHL EXPRESS 9:00 DOMESTIC - urgent deliveries at a set time: by 9:00 am on the day after pickup.

• DHL EXPRESS 10:30 DOMESTIC - urgent deliveries at a set time: by 10:30 am on the day after pickup.

• DHL EXPRESS 12:00 DOMESTIC - delivery at a set time by 12:00 pm on the day after pickup.

• DHL EXPRESS 18:00 DOMESTIC - fast delivery by the end of the business day following pickup.

• DHL EXPRESS EASY - deliveries at a set time available at DHL Service Points.

Reliability and use: reliable and efficient both domestically and internationally, DHL couriers are ideal for delicate and valuable shipments (such as jewelry) and boast a well-trained, responsive call center for solving customer issues. This carrier is recommended for shipments that require the utmost care and certainty of delivery within the set parameters.

Pros:

• 6,500 operational offices;

• toll-free number;

• fast and secure, Saturday delivery (€16);

• tracking for every package at no extra cost.

Cons:

• high prices;

• rather high costs for the additional services offered.

BRT

Part of DPDgroup since 2016, BRT is one of the leading Italian couriers in the shipping market, with more than 200 private branches in Italy and a significant market share. BRT has a long-standing presence in our country and boasts one of the widest ranges of services, from envelope shipping to bulky packages. It can offer competitive prices and, thanks to its international partnerships, is also able to offer fast shipments abroad via DPD or other couriers.

Costs: this is one of the express couriers most affected by local differences. The rates applied depend on the decisions and assessments of each individual branch, making the service somewhat inconsistent but with a low base price.

Services: for deliveries, the courier relies on independent drivers, or networks of local couriers. Speed in handling packages is what sets it apart.

• BASIC EXPRESS SERVICE - pick up today, deliver tomorrow, with no weight limits or limits on the number of packages per shipment.

• PRIORITY SERVICE - delivery by 12:00 pm on the day after pickup in about 3,000 Italian locations, that is, 70% of the country's productive and residential territory, with no limits on weight, volume or number of packages per shipment.

• 10:30 SERVICE - delivery by 10:30 am the morning after pickup in about 1,500 Italian locations of major commercial interest, for shipments of up to 100 kg in weight and 0.5 cubic meters in volume.

• PARCEL SERVICE - guarantees express delivery of heavy and/or bulky shipments with the same speed as small shipments, thanks to large infrastructure, specific work processes, and suitable vehicles equipped with hydraulic tail lifts.

Reliability and use: fairly reliable and punctual, with independent drivers for pickup and delivery. The courier is organized so that individual branches can respond directly to the customer, offering a personal touch point. This is an ideal setup in terms of speed, but since there's no national standard, you may run into some issues in less central areas.

Integrating BRT with Sendcloud is extremely simple!

Pros:

• local offices;

• no weight limit;

• great prices.

Cons:

• customer service is not very consistent;

• no Saturday delivery;

• somewhat cumbersome website, and it can be hard to find the right person to contact in case of issues.

GLS

An English express courier that operates in Italy through franchised local branches, GLS has a significant national presence, though not a comprehensive one. And it's growing. Within the company there are both couriers employed directly and independent drivers.

Costs: they offer reasonable rates in the mid-to-low range. GLS is an excellent compromise between service quality and cost.

Services: like many competitors, it offers a wide range of services that can be added to the basic shipment. Especially those related to delivery scheduling and timing. Customer service is both centralized and local, so you can choose who to contact depending on the issue you're facing. That said, given the limited coverage across the country, in many parts of Italy they require a minimum of 48 hours to complete delivery, but they are punctual and reliable.

• DEPOT PICKUP SERVICE - if requested by the sender, you can pick up the shipment at the GLS branch closest to your address, by presenting an ID document and the GLS shipment number. Their branches are also open on Saturdays.

• EXPRESS 12 SERVICE - if you need your shipment delivered by 12:00 pm, you can arrange the Express 12 service with the sender. However, make sure to check whether your address is covered by the service (500 Italian cities).

• SATURDAY SERVICE - GLS gives you the option of having your shipment delivered on Saturday too. Arrange this add-on service with the sender (it depends on weight and area). Your shipment will be delivered on Saturday morning at the address you provided.

• IDENT PIN SERVICE - the sender can ask GLS to deliver the shipment only after you enter a PIN code on the driver's handheld device. Delivery is therefore conditional on knowing the PIN code, which the sender must give you. With Ident PIN, deliveries are even more secure.

• E-COM SERVICE - if the sender requests E-com Service for their shipment, you can arrange directly with the GLS branch handling your shipment for the date and time of redelivery in case the first delivery attempt is unsuccessful. Check your email for the message sent by GLS with instructions for arranging redelivery.

Reliability and use: service quality is at the same level throughout Europe and is constantly monitored using a quality management system. They use performance metrics that ensure 90% of shipments are delivered within the standard timeframes set.

Integrating GLS with Sendcloud is extremely simple!

Pros:

• choice of delivery;

• mid-to-low prices for the services offered;

• a great courier for shipments across Europe too;

• precise tracking at no extra cost;

• mobile app;

• Saturday delivery.

Cons:

• Only 500 locations can access many of the services listed above;

• 48 hours for delivery in outlying areas;

• even longer for the islands;

• centralized, automated phone service for resolving any issues, or email.

TNT

Acquired by the American company FedEx in 2016, TNT has a substantial presence across Italy and Europe, which helps guarantee speed and punctuality everywhere. To maintain a good level of service, they use both employed staff and external contractors. However, this doesn't affect the service offered, which has always stood out for reliability and precision. TNT offers a national network with more than 100 branches, plus 100 hubs, 3 customer service centers, and more than 1,200 TNT points.

Costs: the rates offered vary and are structured according to delivery timing, with a base price in the mid-range. Deliveries generally take place within 24 hours of pickup. The costs, as we mentioned, still fall within a mid-range, which is an excellent compromise between service and price.

Services: TNT offers a wide range of additional delivery services, each at reasonable prices.

• SPECIAL SERVICES - same-day delivery, where possible. No weight limit for goods, documents and cargo.

• 10:00 EXPRESS - next business day delivery guaranteed by 10:00 am, for up to 210 kg.

• 12:00 EXPRESS - next business day delivery guaranteed by 12:00 pm, for up to 1,000 kg.

• EXPRESS - next-day delivery during office hours, for up to 500 kg.

• ECONOMY EXPRESS - delivery during office hours on a specified business day, for up to 1,000 kg.

Reliability and use: with a very user-friendly website, it's very effective in northern Italy, a little less so in the rest of the country. Being part of the FedEx giant, issues are resolved quickly, which is why TNT sits in the mid-to-high range.

Pros:

• save 20% if you ship online;

• they have a baggage service;

• the vehicle fleet is shared between TNT and FedEx;

• excellent customer service, both locally at the branch and nationally;

• shipments to the islands take between 24 and 48 hours.

Cons:

• no Saturday delivery;

• in more rural areas, pickups can sometimes be missed or delayed;

• the customer service phone number is quite expensive.

Poste Italiane

Poste Italiane offers very competitive prices and services that are unique in their kind.

With 13,000 offices and thousands of employees, they offer a level of nationwide coverage that no other carrier can match. From priority mail, registered mail, and both standard and express parcels, to telegram and book-post services, they offer solutions unlike any other.

Integrating Poste Italiane into your ecommerce is extremely easy with Sendcloud.

Costs: shipments with Poste Delivery Business Standard start at €5.60 for packages between 0-2kg, while with Poste Delivery Business Express they start at €5.90 for items of the same weight. Compared to other couriers, prices are low, with excellent guarantees for both your business and your customer.

Services: you can take advantage of a wide range of add-ons and options to make delivery of your shipments even more efficient. These include options such as: defined time slots Hour9, Hour10, Hour12, delivery to a neighbor, delivery to a specific floor, delivery by appointment, Saturday delivery, evening or scheduled delivery, holding at a depot, insurance, and cash on delivery.

Poste Italiane also offers the option to ship from all its physical locations spread widely across the country, as well as home pickup.

Let's look at the main ecommerce shipping services offered by Poste Italiane:

• POSTE DELIVERY BUSINESS EXPRESS - fast delivery in 1-2 days. Multi-package shipments with no weight or size limits. Delivery at post offices, at home, and at Punto Poste locations. Fast Reverse option for returns management, including Paperless mode.

• POSTE DELIVERY BUSINESS STANDARD - delivery in 4 days. Multi-package shipments, with no weight or size limits. Delivery at post offices, at home, and at Punto Poste locations. Reverse option for returns management, including Paperless mode.

• POSTE DELIVERY BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL EXPRESS - fast international shipments with no limits on weight, size or number of packages. Over 200 countries served worldwide. International Reverse option for returns management.

• POSTE DELIVERY BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL STANDARD - Ship to more than 200 countries worldwide. More than 700,000 foreign post offices, lockers and access points. International Reverse option for returns management.

Reliability and use: Poste Italiane is also one of the main national players in financial and insurance services. It's a long-standing business in delivery, mail, and logistics. They operate across three main branches (mail and parcels, financial services, and insurance and asset management). The group has adopted an organizational model based on industrial integration while keeping its services simple.

Pros:

• standard, attractive prices for many services;

• Poste Italiane has 12,000 post offices and 13,000 service points in Italy;

• offers all the benefits of the big international shipping companies.

• You can ship worldwide thanks to their reliance on other couriers' networks

• Efficient Reverse option - domestic and international - for returns management, including Paperless mode

Cons:

• International shipments are not very reliable

• Pickup and delivery service quality is mediocre

• delivery times are a bit longer compared to private competitors, and lines at post offices can be exhausting since they handle many different services;

• no Saturday delivery.

UPS

The American multinational ranks among the largest shipping companies in Italy and worldwide. In Italy it has a very significant market share and a strong presence. It's known above all for its reliability and its attention to the customer at every stage of shipping. It offers customizations and contractual logistics solutions capable of helping your business grow.

Costs: it's among the companies with the highest rates, although, unlike other major players in the industry, it offers a wide variety of them. This makes UPS very flexible when it comes to pricing. For example: if you wanted to ship a 1 kg package, you could start from a base rate and end up quadrupling it by adding certain additional services.

Services: they offer services ranging from consumers to aerospace. Real-time shipment tracking and an always-available toll-free number. UPS's presence is felt at every stage of the shipping cycle, even after delivery has taken place. Shipping, research, sustainability, ecommerce solutions and integrating their software with your business are just some of the many services UPS is able to offer.

• UPS EXPRESS PLUS - delivery by the next business day between 8:30 and 9:30 am.

• UPS EXPRESS - next business day delivery between 10:30 am and 12:00 pm.

• UPS EXPRESS SAVER - next business day delivery by end of day.

• UPS STANDARD - fast, safe and economical service with delivery on a set day. Between 2 and 5 business days.

• UPS ACCESS POINT ECONOMY - package pickup at your local UPS office on a set day. Between 2 and 4 days.

Reliability and use: one of the best couriers. It has a large workforce that's always available for almost every aspect of your business needs. It's also possible to get in touch with UPS through many different touchpoints.

Pros:

• many options for next-day delivery;

• various special services for your business, consulting, national retail points with MailBox and more;

• they have a toll-free number;

• Saturday delivery option available (starting at €25).

Cons:

• their website isn't among the most functional;

• prices are very high for heavy packages compared to those of the same size but lower weight.

InPost

InPost is the first shipping company entirely focused on Out of Home delivery, that is, delivery to Service Points and, above all, lockers.
Thanks to its acquisition of Mondial Relay, it's now present in 8 markets, with more than 500 million packages handled in 2021. In Italy alone it has 900 lockers, available 24/7, and more than 2,000 InPost Points.

Although it's still not very well known in Italy, InPost is growing and aims to become the largest OOH network in Europe. The company's flagship offering is a delivery solution that is innovative, digital, sustainable, and affordable at the same time.

Costs: InPost's domestic rates are very competitive, and this is in fact one of the main advantages of shipping in Italy with this courier. Keep in mind that a 5% surcharge is applied to shipments to the islands.

Services:

• Pickups: at lockers or service points, which give consumers flexibility of location and timing for collecting their orders

• Returns: directly at lockers, allowing your customers to skip the line and return products in just a few minutes

• Shipments: to their Lockers and the InPost Point network

Reliability and use: The biggest strength of shipping with InPost is offering your customers a convenient, easy-to-use service, letting them pick up and return products without waiting or complications.

InPost Points and Lockers are located in strategic places, where people go about their daily lives, such as tobacco shops, supermarkets and stores, which are easily reachable by car or on foot.

InPost also offers order tracking and returns management, which always takes place via a locker or InPost point.

Let's now look at the pros and cons to consider if you're thinking about shipping with InPost:

Pros:

• Affordable

• Sustainable delivery method

• Has a network that's growing rapidly

• Simple to use and offers a great customer experience

Cons:

• Limited package size

• Not yet very well known

Nexive (now Poste Italiane)

As of October 1, 2021, Nexive Group was acquired by Poste Italiane. This meant that, from that date on, Poste Italiane fully took over all of Nexive's relationships and services. So if you were thinking about shipping with Nexive, that's no longer possible, but you can instead consider Poste Italiane's offering.

SDA (now Poste Italiane)

On November 1, 2019, the partial demerger of SDA in favor of Poste Italiane was completed. This meant that all the functions of the express courier services formerly known as SDA Express Courier were migrated to Poste Italiane. Specifically, for your ecommerce this means that:

• It's no longer possible to purchase one-off domestic and international shipments either at SDA branches or through the sda.it website

• It's no longer possible to activate new subscriptions for the domestic shipping services Extralarge, Capi Appesi, Andata & Ritorno, Internazionale Express and Road Europe. If you're already subscribed to these products, you can find all the information and product documentation on the Poste Italiane website.

• You can still keep shipping in Italy and abroad with Poste Italiane's express courier and parcel offering

Did you know that all the Italian couriers we've been talking about can be integrated into a single shipping platform that lets you automate your ecommerce's entire shipping process? Want to know more? It's very simple, here's a very short video with all the information.

Italian couriers for bulky shipments and pallets

If you sell wholesale or sell bulky goods, then this section is for you!

It's worth knowing that not all couriers accept bulky packages and pallets. For example, among those listed, Nexive and Poste Italiane don't offer the option of shipping very heavy goods, such as furniture or large appliances.

These shipping giants offer a specific service for bulky shipments, that is, those that exceed the maximum size and weight they set.

Let's look at the others then:

• UPS provides a phone number you can call to calculate the cost of an oversized shipment, and offers a cargo option by sea or air as well;

• DHL and TNT offer solutions of every kind for shipping almost anything anywhere in the world;

• BRT and GLS can handle shipments with higher loads. Both couriers offer shipments by weight and length with no limits at all.

Couriers for ecommerce operating in Italy: which one is used the most?

In this section, we analyze the market. Does your choice match that of most other Italian shop owners? Let's find out together!

The data used comes from the Agcom analysis from late 2022.

According to the analysis, when it comes to postal services, the dominance of the Poste Italiane group (which includes Nexive and SDA) remains the most significant, even though it's shrinking year after year.

In second place is Amazon Italia Transport, followed by BRT. The remaining shares are split more or less evenly between GLS, UPS, and DHL. TNT-Fedex closes out the ranking with a share of less than 7%. Let's look at the details in this image (figures are in percentages).

Compared to the previous year (September 2021), what can we say? Here are the growth or loss trends:

• Poste Italiane fell by 2.3%

• Amazon Italia Transport grew by 1.4%

• BRT grew by 0.4%

• DHL gained 0.6%

• GLS stayed steady

• UPS fell by 0.8%

• TNT-Fedex grew by 0.6%

What can we say, on the other hand, about actual shipments? For express couriers, the situation changes drastically and shows a more balanced picture, with Amazon ranking first. Let's look at the details.

Let's also compare this to the previous year, to see how the growth trends stack up against the same period the year before.

• Amazon Italia Transport gained 1.5%

• BRT grew by 0.2%

• Poste Italiane dropped by 1.6%

• DHL grew by 0.6%

• GLS fell by 0.2%

• UPS fell by 1.3%

• TNT-Fedex grew by 0.7%

The solution for integrating Italian couriers and efficiently managing your shipments

We hope this guide helps you find the courier best suited to your ecommerce.

We do, however, want to give you a piece of advice: don't limit your delivery offering to a single courier! With Sendcloud you can integrate more than 80 domestic and international couriers and expand your delivery offering. This way you increase conversions and sales.

How does Sendcloud work? Find out in 1 minute!

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