Yodel announces expanded partnership with Vinted as demand for pre-loved fashion soars

Yodel has announced it is expanding its partnership with online marketplace, Vinted, in a multi-year agreement that includes a significant increase in parcel volumes being handled by the independent carrier. The partnership will see Vinted’s current volumes delivered by Yodel significantly increase, with the majority being delivered into over 6,000 Yodel serviced stores nationwide, via the carrier’s partnership with PayPoint’s Collect+ network.

The growth in volumes from Vinted follows a dramatic rise in popularity of selling and sourcing pre-loved fashion, with the company’s transaction numbers growing sevenfold in the UK over the last 18 months. This has been fueled by consumers moving away from fast fashion to make more sustainable choices and support them with additional income sources.

The trend towards online marketplaces has resulted in a surge in Yodel’s Consumer to Consumer (C2C) parcel volumes through its Yodel Direct service, which has been supported by the company’s expanding Out of Home (OOH) proposition. Yodel previously reported a 162 percent increase in C2C volumes and has invested heavily in its OOH technology, delivering a scalable logistics solution that allows the business to react as consumers’ demands for more convenient and greener delivery services have increased.

Yodel’s 6,000-store OOH network, delivered in partnership with PayPoint, covers the whole of the UK, with 36.7 million people living within one kilometer of a Yodel affiliate store and locations opening at universities, petrol stations and convenience stores nationwide. PayPoint has invested in technology across its Collect+ network to deliver a superior consumer experience, ensuring labels can be printed in 100 percent of stores.

Vinted users can select either of Yodel’s Store to Store or Store to Door services. The services give sellers the option to drop off their parcel at their nearest store for their recipient to collect at theirs, or to deliver directly to their recipient’s address. As soon as their package has been dropped off in store, customers can live-track their orders via Yodel’s website or via the Yodel app.

Mike Hancox, CEO at Yodel, commented: “We are thrilled to be expanding our partnership with Vinted to help its vast fashion community across the UK deliver and collect their pre-loved clothing. The significant increase in OOH parcel volume that we have seen year on year is testament to the success of Yodel’s Out of Home network, which customers have rated 4.7 out of 5. The increased volumes will also continue to support local storekeepers nationwide.

Sales of pre-loved items have continued to grow strongly across 2023 and we look forward to working closely with Vinted into the future.”

Vytautas Atkocatis, Vice President at Vinted Go, said: “We have seen huge growth in our marketplace in recent years as consumers become more environmentally conscious and are increasingly looking for additional sources of income. Our partnership with Yodel has already seen millions of pre-loved items delivered to their new homes and as we grow into 2024, we want to ensure we continue to provide the best possible selling and shopping experience for customers. Yodel’s range of flexible delivery options, tracking services and its vast Out of Home network has proven hugely effective at handling existing volumes and we look forward to working with them in this expanded capacity.”

Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint, commented: “We are delighted that Collect+ will be playing a key role in this expanded partnership with Yodel and Vinted. As consumer channel shift continues to move towards OOH and greener delivery choices, our fantastic retailer partners will now have an even greater opportunity to serve the needs of their customers in communities across the UK through our leading OOH network.

We remain fully committed to investing further in the in-store consumer experience, through technology and operational support for our retailer partners, as well as continuing to expand our Collect+ network to service the strong growth in this area.”