DHL has unveiled Parcel Metro, a new service for online retailers to meet consumers’ increasing demand for same-day and next-day delivery. The new service is now available in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, and will be launched in Dallas and Atlanta in the second quarter of 2018 with San Francisco to follow in the third quarter and Washington DC to follow before the end of the year.

Parcel Metro allows retailers to offer a fully branded delivery experience to their customers. The new service creates a virtual delivery network of local and regional delivery vendors and crowd-sourced drivers and vehicles to ensure maximum flexibility and capacity over the last mile. It does this via a bespoke software platform, which selects drivers that offer the appropriate service levels and sufficient capacity on specific routes and which meet the company’s rigorous quality standards.

For consumers, the service creates a seamless experience. Once they place their orders, they can select from a range of delivery time windows, including two-hour, same day and next day, and their preferred delivery destination. A mobile interface—which the retailer can choose to customize with their own branding—allows the end consumers to track shipments in real-time, communicate special instructions to their courier, reschedule a delivery and rate their delivery experience. DHL eCommerce can bundle fulfillment and Parcel Metro delivery solutions for online retailers.

“Eighty-six percent of consumers associate delivery as part of their total online shopping experience,” said Lee Spratt, CEO, DHL eCommerce Americas. That’s why “it’s important for DHL to offer services that not only meet their needs, but do so in a highly consistent fashion.”

“Our digitalization journey is all about how we can add value to our customers, to our employees and to our shareholders,” said Charles Brewer, CEO, DHL eCommerce. “DHL Parcel Metro is part of a number of innovations we are actively implementing, including augmented reality glasses for greater pick accuracy, follow-me robots, and autonomous vehicles.”