The results of Triangle's German Domestic Parcels and Express Distribution Survey 2004 show a high level of brand loyalty amongst main users of the principle parcels and express service providers in the German domestic market. Only 5% of respondents changed their carrier last year.

Although two thirds of the sample had used more than one carrier to deliver parcels within Germany over the last year, this high figure can be explained by the clear segmentation of the German market into courier, express and parcel (CEP) segments.

The survey did discover however, that customers are expecting to see some price hardening activity from their carriers in the next twelve months. This action by carriers, if they do indeed attempt to put up their prices, might be expected to increase the number of customers seeking to change their carrier as a reaction. The survey found that although only about a third of respondents had experienced price increases in the last year, more than half expected prices to rise over the coming year. Carriers should be careful about raising prices though as the survey also found that almost half of the respondents would consider changing carrier if they were offered a price reduction.

The report is based on 400 in depth telephone interviews with decision-makers within companies sending more than 100 parcels or express parcels per month domestically. (‘Parcels' were defined as individual items weighing between 1 and 31.5kg and ‘Express' as shipments with guaranteed delivery times.) The fieldwork was undertaken in June 2004. The report presents detailed results and analysis for each of the more than 50 questions in the survey, including selection criteria, awareness, effect of prices on loyalty, specified service levels, service improvements and media recall and provides a benchmark of the results enabling carriers to measure their customers' perception of their performance against that of their competitors. In addition to the main results and analysis content, the report also gives an overview of the CEP-market and its main developments and presents a profile of every carrier containing data on its history, market strategy, domestic and international services and IT solutions.

Awareness of (the major) carriers amongst the sample is high and correlates with the degree of usage of the carriers, their sales and promotional activities. Television and direct mail appear to be the carriers' most favoured communication media in Germany for sales and promotional activities.

For the moment then, a relatively stable German express and parcels market, but for how long if the carriers seek to pass on too much of their cost increases to their customers?

Notes for Editors:

This new Triangle report (The German Domestic Parcels and Express Distribution Survey) has been based on the long-established (18 years) UK Parcels Distribution Survey which is today the benchmark for the express parcels industry in the UK. For the first time in Germany this report provides a customer satisfaction survey for all of the main service providers in the parcels and express market. In addition it also benchmarks the survey results so that individual carriers can measure their performances against their direct competitors based on customers' perception. It is believed that this is the first survey of its kind of the German CEP market.

This report is available for purchase at a cost of €22,500 + VAT (twenty-two thousand, five hundred Euros plus VAT).

Studies using similar methodology also include the UK Parcels Distribution Survey, the UK Pallets Distribution Survey, the French Domestic Express Customer Survey and the UK International Express Outbound Survey. These surveys are conducted annually.

For more information contact Robin Parr-Davies on 00 44 (0) 8709 507900 or by email: mailto:robinp@triangle.eu.com.

For inquiries in German contact Ludwig-Michael Cremer on + 49 (0) 7071 64 03 15 or by email: mailto:l.m.cremer@t-online.de