Galaxus and Digitec now deliver particularly slowly on request

It sounds like an April Fool’s joke at first, but it is actually meant seriously. The two online stores Galaxus and Digitec are now offering the “slow delivery” option during the ordering process. This is intended to relieve the logistics crew, especially on Mondays and in the evenings.

Galaxus and Digitec with slow delivery

For orders in the online stores of Galaxus and Digitec, you can quit at check-out a check mark at the option “allow slow delivery”. What at first sounds like a joke and contradicts the fast shipping speed of both stores, but has an important background.

Thus, one wants to relieve the own logistics, which have problems especially on Mondays as well as in the evening hours to handle the increased online orders in time. Thanks to the new option, the stores can keep their delivery promises even more reliably than in the past.

“We are not satisfied especially on many Mondays, because we have to process the orders from the weekend in addition,” reveals Philipp Mahler Product Owner at Galaxus and Digitec in the press release. Even in the evening, shortly before the order deadline, the logistics department can hardly cope with the volume of orders.

Mahler compares the new system with the A and B franking of the Swiss Post. Letters and parcels almost always arrive the next day by A Mail. When they are sent by B Mail, this is also possible, but without priority. This is not given until the following day – which is exactly how the new, self-described “snail mail” system from Galaxus and Digitec works.

• More on this: German Post will soon offer letter notification

Does this even make sense?

According to a survey in Switzerland, many online shoppers are impatient. So initially Galaxus and Digitec are just banking on the good feeling of having relieved the logistics team by reducing the prioritization of orders.

Philipp, however, believes in the success of snail mail: “Our community has requested such a feature in dozens of comments over the past weeks and months.” This wish has now been put into practice, he says. Of course, it is not yet possible to estimate how many customers will ultimately use the feature.

At the same time, the system saves companies money that can be used elsewhere. For example, because employees in logistics can be scheduled more evenly and the additional work can be redistributed from Monday to the rest of the week.

Basically, with the “slow delivery” option, you allow products that are in stock to arrive a day or two later than usual. So for parcel shipments, you have two to three business days until they arrive at your home.

The comments below the announcement of the new function are overwhelmingly positive. Internally, they also discuss a possible reward as a promotion for all those who use the new function. “At the moment, however, our main concern is that we can relieve our colleagues in logistics in an uncomplicated way,” emphasizes Alex Hämmerli, Senior PR Manager at Digitec Galaxus AG.