Spotted the “CoolblueFietst” on delivery in #Delft’s city centre today. With a turnover of €1.2 billion in 2017, consumer electronics store @Coolblue is one of the largest Dutch businesses embracing cycle logistics. Why? The answer is simple: control.https://t.co/VuUoWCXr8v pic.twitter.com/GjDkWvdD3i — Modacity (@modacitylife) March 2, 2019

Chris and Melissa Bruntlett the fine people of Modacity Life passed on this fascinating article by Tom Parron on the marketing of Coolblue‘s new bike service. Coolblue is an electronics company that has been in business since 1999 in the Netherlands and Belgium. Their creed is to provide excellent response with a good slice of humour interspersed in their customer service. And if you order an item online, you are guaranteed delivery of that item the following day.

With online and 9 traditional retail locations this business delivers bought goods by “CoolblueFietst” which translates as Coolblue bikes. With service commencing in two Dutch cities last year Coolblue has expanded to have bicycle delivery of their products in major Dutch and Belgian cities with a fleet of 250 delivery riders. And get this~those delivery bike riders will “all be employed with contracts and receive fixed salaries.”

The concept of “cycle logistics”have been used by courier companies in urban areas, but this innovative “quirky, approachable brand” is maintaining their own bike courier service for efficiency and for promoting the sustainable aspect of their brand. Deliveries will be from the brick and mortar stores in the Netherlands and in Belgium so it will be the last part of the delivery that will be emission free. But as the CEO Pieter Zwart stresses for Coolblue stresses “Perhaps the best thing about CoolblueFietst: it’s green. And blue of course. Very blue.”

Here is a YouTube video of Coolblue’s announcement of bike driven deliveries to cities in Belgium from November 2018.

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