Pickup point delivery: delivery options, carriers, and rates

French online shoppers are particularly fond of pickup point delivery — it's even the preferred delivery method for 37% of them. As an e-commerce merchant, it's worth offering pickup point delivery in your online store.

In this article, we'll look at the benefits of pickup point delivery and review the carriers that offer it in France.

Pickup point delivery: how does it work?

The pickup point is an essential service for e-commerce merchants. It's a local shop where parcels can be dropped off and collected, ensuring fast delivery times.

The customer can request that their parcel be delivered to a pickup point by selecting this option at checkout when placing their order online. Once they've selected an address in their area, that pickup point address becomes the chosen delivery address for the order. The appropriate carrier then makes sure the parcel arrives at that address on time.

Pickup point delivery: the benefits for e-commerce merchants

Pickup point delivery is hugely popular in France, and that's no surprise. Deliveries are almost 100% reliable and offer real advantages for both merchants and shoppers alike:

• Flexibility : the parcel can be picked up at any time. Customers don't have to wait around all afternoon for their delivery. A notification is usually sent by email or SMS as soon as the parcel is available at the pickup point. All the customer has to do is stop by whenever it suits them — on the way home from work, or while out buying flowers, for example!

• Rates : pickup point delivery is the most cost-effective delivery method. For you as a merchant, this is a major selling point, especially when you consider that 78% of French online shoppers are ready to abandon their order if delivery costs are too high.

• Environmental impact : the last mile of delivery has the biggest ecological impact. Pickup point delivery eliminates that last mile and helps reduce carbon emissions. Pickup point delivery is a first step toward a greener e-commerce industry.

• Returns : returns management is every merchant's nightmare. But returns are also an important factor for shoppers when deciding whether to order from your online store again. This is especially true in the fashion sector, where returns are extremely common. And you know what? Fashion shoppers prefer to drop off their return parcels at a pickup point.

• Pickup point delivery lets you optimize your returns, improve your environmental impact, and give your customers more flexibility. What's more, you'll now find pickup points everywhere, and they're very often open 6 days a week, sometimes even more.

  Pickup point delivery: the market-leading carriers

  Almost every carrier now offers pickup point delivery. Each carrier has its own advantages and terms. Let's take a quick look at what the market leaders offer.

  Pickup point delivery with Mondial Relay

  
  

  

  • Network: 58,000 pickup points across Europe, 12,000 in France, plus 300 lockers available across the country.

  • Delivery time: 3 days in France, 6 days across Europe.

  • Tracking: parcel trackable at any time, with the recipient notified by email or SMS as soon as their parcel is available.

  • Collection terms: the parcel stays available for 14 days and can be collected upon presentation of ID.

  • Rates: enjoy highly competitive rates with Sendcloud. Domestic shipments start at €3.45 with the Essential plan and €3.14 with the Business plan.

  For more information about Mondial Relay, check out our dedicated article on the carrier.

  Pickup point delivery with Colissimo

  
  

  

  • Network: 25,000 pickup points in France across post offices and Pickup relay points.

  • Delivery time: 2 days in France.

  • Tracking: parcel trackable at any time via La Poste's online tracking service. You can also receive email alerts on delivery progress (settings can be configured).

  • Collection terms: the parcel stays available for 15 days. This period can be extended to up to 30 days during the summer, on request.

  • Collection: the parcel can be dropped into a personal mailbox and will be collected by the mail carrier. Very handy for easy returns management.

  • Rates: the starting price for La Poste's Colissimo service is €4.25.

  • For more information about Colissimo, read our full article on the carrier and its wide range of delivery services.

    Pickup point delivery with Chronopost: Shop2shop

    
    

    

    • Network: 16,000 Pickup relay points in France, 42,000 across Europe and overseas territories. On top of the Pickup relay points, there are also Pickup Stations — automated lockers accessible 24/7 — numbering 400 in France and 2,000 across Europe.

    • Delivery time: next-day delivery before 1pm possible with the Chrono Relais 13 service. Delivery within 2 to 4 days with the standard Shop2shop offer.

    • Tracking: parcel trackable at any time via Shop2shop's online tracking service, which provides real-time delivery updates.

    • Collection terms: the parcel stays available for 7 days.

    • Rates: the starting price for Chronopost's Shop2shop service is €4.50.

    • Read our full article on Chronopost to discover the express carrier's offering in detail.

      Pickup point delivery with DPD

      
      

      

      • Network: 8,500 Pickup relay points in France (95% of the French population is within 15 minutes of a pickup point), 58,000 across Europe spread over 28 countries.

      • Delivery time: delivery within 24 to 48 hours in France.

      • Tracking: detailed shipment tracking via the Report service or online tracking, with email or SMS notifications as soon as the parcel arrives at the pickup point.

      • Collection terms: the parcel stays available for 9 days. Collection requires presenting the QR code received and a form of ID.

      • Discover DPD's services in more detail in our dedicated article on the carrier.

        Delivery with UPS Access Point

        
        

        

        • Network: 17,000 UPS Access Point locations across Europe.

        • Tracking: a tracking app that gives full visibility over shipments, with configurable SMS or email alerts.

        • Collection terms: the parcel stays available for 14 days at the pickup point.

        • Rates: shipping a small parcel within France with UPS Access Point costs €9.59.

        • Find out more about the American logistics giant by reading our dedicated article on UPS.

          Pickup point delivery with GLS

          
          

          

          • Network: in France, GLS uses part of Mondial Relay's network of partner shops, in addition to GLS branches and the Pickme network of private individuals — bringing the carrier's total to 10,000 pickup points across France.

          • Delivery time: next-day delivery before 1pm possible. Standard delivery within 24 hours in France and within 24 to 96 hours across Europe.

          • Tracking: the Track & Engage tracking solution allows you to track your parcel at any time.

          • Collection terms: the parcel stays available for 14 days.

          • To learn everything about the GLS carrier, read our dedicated article on the carrier.

            Pickup point delivery with Colis Privé

            
            

            • Network: 4,100 pickup points in France at local shops open 6 days a week.

            • Delivery time: within 24 to 48 hours; 3 to 5 business days for parcel returns via a pickup point.

            • Tracking: real-time tracking with step-by-step notifications, sent by SMS or email when the parcel is ready for collection. Tracking is available online and will soon be available via the Colis Privé app.

            • Collection terms: the parcel stays available for 10 days at the Colis Privé Store.

            • Rates: enjoy highly competitive rates with Sendcloud. Domestic shipments start at €3.23 with the Essential plan and €2.65 with the Business plan.

            • For more information about Colis Privé, check out our dedicated article!

              To find out which carrier best suits your e-commerce business, check out our article or, for more information, download our comparison guide below:

              Pickup point delivery with Sendcloud: simple and efficient!

              
              

              

              Easily offer pickup point delivery by connecting the various carriers directly to your account on the Sendcloud platform. If you already have a contract with a carrier, simply import it into the platform. We also offer pre-negotiated contracts with certain carriers, so you can enjoy highly competitive rates and greater convenience.

              Expand your delivery offering to match your customers' preferences and add a selling point to your business. With Sendcloud you can:

              • Connect your online store to 25 international carriers for a complete delivery offering

              • Automate your shipments and label printing

              • Send personalized notifications to your customers

              • Manage returns through a dedicated portal

              • Use Sendcloud's pre-negotiated contracts or bring your own

              • Let your customers choose from multiple delivery options

              • Have questions about pickup point delivery? Want to learn more about the benefits offered by Sendcloud? Feel free to leave us a comment!