Deliver distinctive consumer experience in the key moments of truth in e-commerce

At PostNL, we are committed to providing consumers with the seamless experience they expect, no matter how they interact with us. To meet their evolving needs, we continue to develop innovative solutions that make it easier for them to send, receive, and communicate with us. Recognising that our consumers are diverse and their needs vary, we tailor our services to support them throughout their journey, from discovery to delivery, and act as the dependable link in their day-to-day lives. We constantly adapt to their preferences, whether they are ordering, receiving, or returning parcels.

A key driver of this adaptability is the growth of our out-of-home network, which significantly improves the ease with which consumers can collect and return parcels, allowing us to deliver our services more efficiently. Our retail network, developed with partners across the Benelux, plays a vital role in this process, as does the growth in the number of APLs, which offer consumers more flexibility. APLs achieve a very high NPS following their first use, reflecting the immediate value they bring to the consumer experience. As part of our ongoing commitment to service excellence, we regularly assess consumer feedback to understand where we can improve. Below, we outline several initiatives implemented in 2024 aimed at enhancing the overall customer experience.

Improving the consumer journey

At PostNL, we collaborate closely with several of our largest customers to further enhance our shared journey, delivering an even more seamless and integrated experience. We have successfully redesigned and rebuilt several of our key consumer journeys, leveraging our proven Journey Factory methodology. One of our most critical journeys, the 'I receive' journey, is continuously enhanced to ensure ongoing improvement. One example is our 'Delivery under control' promise to consumers, where we enable consumers to choose both the location and timing of their delivery. On the day of delivery, we provide increasingly precise time slots, enhancing convenience and reliability. Additionally, by setting delivery preferences through the PostNL app, receivers can specify their preferred delivery location, ensuring a seamless and personalised experience.

These improvements have resulted in substantial cost savings and a notable increase in customer satisfaction. We are ranked #1 in 'I receive e-commerce', and improving the 'I receive e-commerce' journey ensures that every step of the process meets the expectations of customers and consumers. We achieve this by working across various departments, from managing their account to receiving their delivery. Below we list a number of innovations that further improve the consumer experience.

• Validated accounts and preferences: By validating consumer preferences and account details on both a daily and a local level, we are better able to deliver exactly when and where it's most convenient for the consumer.
• Dynamic time slot: To provide greater flexibility and transparency, we have introduced dynamic time slots that offer real-time updates, so that consumers know exactly when their delivery will arrive.
• Delivery enquiry: We have introduced an enquiry tool that lets customers check the status of their delivery or request changes, further simplifying their experience.
• Operational management on NPS: Our operational teams closely monitor and act on NPS insights to continually improve the consumer experience. This data-driven approach ensures that we address customer pain points swiftly and effectively.
• Strengthening our partnership with key customers: At PostNL, we focus on improving the customer experience for key partners. Through our NPS programme, we collaborate to identify and prioritise initiatives that enhance customer satisfaction. Together, we ensure that each improvement adds measurable value.

Enhancing our app

Our focus on enhancing the PostNL app has proven to be an important part of providing consumers with a seamless experience. We have strengthened our leadership position in consumer channels, with the PostNL app remaining the market leader, empowering consumers with greater control. We are also preparing for the next generation of self-service chatbots, enhancing customer experience, bolstering our competitive edge, and driving cost efficiencies. Throughout 2024, we implemented a number of new functionalities that have directly contributed to a higher NPS, reflecting the positive impact of these improvements on customer satisfaction. In 2025, we aim to launch delivery preferences in our Belgian app, which from 2024 was also available in French, broadening our reach and accessibility in multilingual regions.

Enhanced shipment tracking

Consumers who use the app to track their deliveries now also receive push notifications 15 minutes before the driver arrives. This real-time update allows receivers to better prepare for their delivery, reducing the chance of missed deliveries and improving convenience.

Award-winning 'contact the driver' button

In 2024, we introduced a 'contact the driver' button in the app, an innovative solution that enables direct communication between delivery drivers and consumers, strengthening relationships and improving operational efficiency. The feature was named as the PostEurop 2024 Innovation Award Winner, which is recognition of our continuing focus on innovation and communication. Whether it is acknowledging a smooth delivery or addressing an issue, the button allows us to promptly gather insights and make necessary improvements. It even enables consumers to give compliments, helping to foster positive engagement. The NPS for service when using the button is 20 points higher compared to other service channels.

Personalised delivery preferences

We have made it even simpler for consumers to set their delivery preferences, giving them more control over how and where they receive their parcels. During the year, we introduced the option for consumers to direct their delivery to a specific PostNL point in their neighbourhood, adding another layer of convenience and flexibility to the delivery process.

Highlighted banner

We introduced a new banner in the app that highlights key functionalities, including delivery preferences. This helps ensure consumers are better informed about the app's capabilities, empowering them to further customise their delivery experience.

Creating strong consumer foundations

We continue to strengthen our robust consumer base, enhancing our engagement with consumers by building on their trust and preferences. We focus on creating personalised and relevant experiences for our consumers, and leverage these insights to optimise operational efficiency and improve overall service quality. This enables us to collect valuable data on consumer delivery preferences, allowing us to efficiently match parcels with their recipients. Additionally, having all our data unified in a single database enables us to innovate quickly and effectively. By centralising our data, we gain a holistic view of our operations and consumer behaviour, enabling faster decision-making and adaption to evolving market demands. In 2024, we introduced a number of developments.

Consumer foundations

Our core consumer foundations continue to drive value across the business. Throughout 2024, we accelerated the growth of PostNL accounts, surpassing 8.9 million registered unique active accounts across the Netherlands and Belgium by year end. Additionally, we implemented a central identity validation service to secure accounts, reduce fraud, and minimise losses across our services. We also updated our consent statements to improve customer experience, boost revenue, and ensure compliance with privacy regulations.

Consumer data and analytics

During the year we developed a state-of-the-art consumer data platform (CCB), enabling comprehensive insights into all our PostNL accounts (see previous story) and 10 million receivers. This platform enhances our personalisation engine, enabling more tailored customer interactions and optimising processes in our core parcel operations.

Improving the consumer experience

Delivery options during checkout

Consumers expect control over when, where, and how their purchases are delivered, and we are working with e-tailers to offer more personalised and flexible delivery choices during the checkout process. Increasingly, consumers buying online in the Netherlands can choose to send their parcel to one of our APLs, a retail point, or to their home address if they opt for delivery by PostNL. This choice helps improve first-time-right delivery, leading to more satisfied consumers and e-tailers and reducing the number of journeys required for a successful delivery, cutting our emissions. More information on our digital solutions within the checkout process can be found in the Broaden our position in the e-commerce value chain section later in this chapter.

Products and functionalities

In 2024, we shortened our delivery window from two hours (one day in advance) to half an hour (one hour in advance on delivery day), with ongoing improvements. We have also streamlined the shipping and return process by implementing a single label for both shipping and returns.

Successful campaigns, reinforcing security

During the year, our 50+ personalised marketing campaigns achieved conversion rates of up to 26%, while we also reinforced the privacy and security of our consumers with anti-phishing codes for track-and-trace notifications. Together, these innovations have enhanced the customer experience, reduced costs, and ensured compliance with privacy regulations.