UK delivery company Hermes has launched a new service that will give online shoppers an Estimated Time of Arrival for next day and standard delivery purchases as well as returns.

Initially, Hermes will provide customers with a four hour time window on the morning of their parcel delivery or collection. This time will be reduced to two hours by the end of the year. This would only then compete favourably with rivals DPD who already offer a similar two hour time window.

The service has been trialled with some major retailers. A statement from Hermes said, “The service has been designed to increase visibility across the supply chain, boost first time delivery rates and reduce the amount of enquiries retailers receive from online shoppers. By removing the need for customers to wait in all day for a courier, ETA helps improve the overall customer experience.”

Client companies deploying the new service will be able to select what parcels they would want to apply the new ETA service to and will be able to choose how they want to communicate the time window via SMS, email or mobile app push.

Carole Woodhead, CEO of Hermes, said of the new service, “Recent research from Metapack revealed that two thirds of consumers are anxious about leaving their homes when they are expecting a delivery. In addition, a Retail Week study said 91% of end customers view time windows as the most important feature when selecting a delivery service. Therefore it is clear that the vast majority of consumers want the convenience of an ETA for all of their deliveries, and not just when opting for a premium service.

“Our ETA solution provides additional choice and convenience to those online shoppers, which will reduce queries for retailers and boost their brand loyalty. This innovative new service, together with our substantial investment in our final mile delivery network, illustrates our ongoing commitment to providing the UK’s leading retailers with premium delivery features for a standard price and helps us move towards our goal of 100% first time delivery success.

“After a successful and record peak, this is Hermes third major announcement this year, with the investment in our new Super Hub in Rugby, scanner technology and now the new ETA service for collection and delivery in the standard market.”