Fabien Leurent (Roubaix, , 1954) is the CEO of World Relay Spain, one of the main references in the field of delivery collection points in our country through . With a forecast to close the year with 2,500 of these points distributed by bookstores, stationery stores, computer stores, etc. from all over the territory, this is a good time to talk to Fabien, learn a little more about this delivery method and his plans for the future.
You have been in Spain for more than 20 years: how have you experienced the boom in the digital sector in our country? How do you remember it in the year 2000?
The first online store I worked with was the one that adapted The Redoute for the Spanish market. Went one of the first in Spain to go digital and our know-how in direct marketing helped us a lot to find the recipes for success. What has changed the most since then is the penetration of the Internet in all homes and the data transmission speed that now allows better content.
Since 2008 you have been the General Manager of Mondial Relay- Punto Pack in Spain. Why did you decide to take the step into the logistics sector? What attracted you to the Mondial Relay proposal?
He was specialized in distance selling (by catalog and then online) and had been in Spain for more than 18 years. At this time the industry was very tied to “classic” distribution solutionswith deficiencies in quality and distribution traceability or much more expensive home delivery solutions.
Mondial Relay’s proposal attracted me because it consisted of build from scratch a package distribution network at points of convenience, based on the great experience that the company has in France where the system was already very common and highly valued by consumers. I saw in this project the possibility of changing something in the panorama of Spanish e-commerceto build a new model and convince e-merchants that the diversity of shipping solutions at check-out in their stores would make them sell more and better retain their customers.
And since then, the parcel sector has changed radically thanks to eCommerce. What would you say has been the main change?
The emergence of new technologies and the Internet, as well as the appearance of a new type of consumer, revolutionized the concept of lifelong shopping. The current buyer demands greater variety, likes to compare, buy when he has time in a comfortable way and not have geographical limitations to do so. This is why eCommerce is so successful. And online commerce needs companies like us that are capable of offering, at highly competitive prices, flexible and efficient ways of delivering orders.
Currently Mondial Relay, through Punto Pack, has more than 2,300 collection and delivery points in Spain. How are the users of this type of points? Are there any traits in common?
The people who use the Punto Pack have a varied profile but they all have in common that they value flexibility and comfort very positively of going to a store in your neighborhood to pick up or drop off a package, as well as personalized treatment. They are busy people who no longer want to mortgage their time to adapt to the schedules of traditional couriers or have to talk to a distant call center to claim any incident.
Why do you think a particular user chooses one of your points?
In addition to the above aspects, more and more people are prefer a parcel delivery system that is respectful of the environment and that sensitivity is what marks the type of company they hire. In this sense, we not only reduce and recycle packaging, but our carriers, by carrying many packages to the same destination, pollute less.
What are the most used points (bookstores, kiosks, etc.)? Is there a preferred time or day of the week to pick up packages?
Our network of convenience points is very varied in terms of the type of businesses that collaborate with us. We obviously find many bookstores and stationery stores, but also computer stores, printer cartridge spare parts, dry cleaners, etc.. All of these stores are selected because they have long opening hours and are open on Saturdays. This means that the traffic we generate to these businesses is widely distributed throughout the week.
What about online stores? How is your relationship with them? Is it easy for an eCommerce to work with your network of collection points?
Too easy. Our service solve last mile delivery with high levels of satisfaction, lowers costs and offers IT solutions that They allow to attend with the same efficiency to an SME that to a multinational. We do not force eCommerce to acquire volume or duration commitments; We offer advanced computer solutions and provide free tools for tracking and post-sale service. I also believe that we are an excellent marketing tool because we are a differential value for your clients.
Do you think that it is a delivery format that is sufficiently known by ecommerce managers or do you think that there are still many who do not value its advantages as they should?
I think the notoriety of the convenience delivery system has gone up a lot in the last two or three years. Thus we receive more and more spontaneous requests from ecommerce managers or logistics directors to study the implementation of this modality in its stores.
We still have a long way to go to make our company as high-profile as the traditional players, but I think it is the end users themselves who make our best publicity. In this sense, our delivery offer for individuals, which can be easily contracted on our website, helps to further spread the benefits of our delivery system.
What plans do you have for Spain in the short/medium term? Will we see an extension of the Punto Pack network?
The company is growing at a very strong rate and we have to adapt the entire structure and our network to cope with this growth. . Mondial Relay cares a lot about retaining its stores, not only with the best service but also with customized solutions and management support. They are a fundamental part that we consider a partner since they are the human face of our service.
I don’t see it unreasonable to imagine a network with 3,500 or 4,000 Pack Points in Spain in the medium term. Our Mondial Relay colleagues in France aim to reach 12,000 Point Relais next year, as they handle many more parcels than we do.
Imagine that you could travel in time: What advice would you give to your Self in 2009?
In 2009 Spain was immersed in a crisis that did not let glimpse its end. I would say to myself in 2009 that You should never lose faith, that by doing things right the harvest turns out well. I admit that we had some bad times, that it was not easy to be optimistic in these circumstances, but 10 years later I can say that it has been worth it. I am very proud of the path we have traveled and the human team that has been formed around this project. They all work with great enthusiasm on a solid project that seemed disruptive at the time.
Let’s do a bit of futurology: what headline would you like to read in Marketing4eCommerce in a year?
It is not futurology because we are on the way to it, but the headline I would like to see is that “Mondial Relay- Punto Pack has established itself as the undisputed leader in its category of deliveries and collections at convenience points for eCommerce companies and individuals”. I have a lot of confidence in our work and in the confidence that our clients also express in us.
And a little more difficult: imagine that we jump forward in time: how do you imagine eCommerce and parcels in 2023?
eCommerce will continue to grow a lot in the coming years, I don’t see any impediment to it. For us, 2023 is just around the corner and we are working with our parent company on the company’s 5-year plans. These are the periods necessary to devise the evolutions of the sector and the investments necessary to face the changes that are outlined, whether they are legislative (traffic restrictions) or volumes to be treated. I’m sure that It will be more difficult to make home deliveries, so our concept of shipments and collections at convenience points will continue to go from strength to strength.
quick quiz
- What is the first social network you open in the day? LinkedIn
- iOS or Android? iOS
- App or website? App on my iPhone, Web on tablet and PC.
- In which eCommerce and how long ago did you make your last online purchase? a couple of weeks ago.
- And it was? Coffee capsules for home.
- Last book read? Stephen King’s Mr Mercedes
- Recommend us a fiction series I don’t watch many series
- What website have you come across lately that has surprised you for the better? I liked the new website very much.
- What is your favorite thing to do that has nothing to do with digital? I get away playing golf every weekend
- Let’s spin a magic chain: Which acquaintance of yours (from another company) do you think we should interview? Why? A for having transformed the Venca website into a marketplace.
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