Shipa Delivery, for Specialized Courier Services in the GCC

A courier service is carried out by a last mile logistics company, which uses fleets of vehicles and drivers to deliver packages, documents, letters, or parcels directly from one person to another.

Today’s couriers, such as Shipa Delivery’s team of delivery assistants, are aided by GPS devices, sophisticated tracking systems, and a profusion of digital communication platforms.

The Challenges of Parcel Delivery

So many billions of parcels are delivered around the world each year that statisticians can barely keep count.

These deliveries are either from business-to-business, business-to-consumer, consumer-to-business, or consumer-to-consumer.

To cope with such an enormous volume of parcel traffic, several delivery methods have evolved over the years:

1. Traditional Delivery Services

The world’s first formal postal service is attributed to Roman ruler Augustus Caesar—in the period around -642 Anno Hegira/2BC. Known as cursus publicus, it comprised fleets of light carriages (rhedae) pulled by fast horses.

The cursus publicus quickly proved inadequate for the job and was overtaken by a universal postal system, which these days employs vast armies of workers to collect, sort, and distribute the daily deluge of mail. 

But while the postal service remains the cheapest form of delivery, it is not the most efficient and is plagued by the following problems:

• Mail goes astray


• Delivery is often slow


• Tracking systems are often rudimentary, noting only when an item leaves one depot and arrives at another—nothing of the journey in between.


• Inadequate or badly written addresses result in mountains of undelivered mail


Despite these shortcomings, most people continue to trust the postal services to deliver their letters and parcels. 

2. Last-mile Delivery Services

Ecommerce businesses and other enterprises requiring 100 percent certainty that their parcels will be delivered, are increasingly turning to logistics companies that specialize in last-mile delivery services.

The pandemic-driven stampede towards online shopping has given a significant boost to this form of delivery, with many ecommerce firms employing 3PL companies to handle the shipping and delivery of customers’ purchases.

These 3PL companies typically offer the following services:

• Same-day delivery—any item customers want to receive on the day they made the order


• Next-day delivery—the preferred fulfillment method since it is cheaper than same-day delivery but just as secure. 

• Weekly scheduled delivery—used by those needing deliveries to remote areas. Although not much faster than regular mail, this service is attractive because it comes with an end-to-end tracking guarantee. 

• International courier delivery—for shipping across borders 
 Parcels dispatched in the last-mile delivery category are typically loaded onto a truck or into a van along with other parcels and delivered as part of a multi-drop delivery route. 

The delivery service provider gives customers a general idea of when they can expect their packages to arrive. For example, a customer might receive a message informing that delivery will take place between 3 pm and 6 pm.

3. Courier Delivery Services

Shippers turn to couriers when they need the twin guarantees of speed and security. Although they pay extra for these guarantees, customers typically benefit from the following service features:

• Dedicated delivery: Packages are given VIP treatment and get to travel in dedicated vehicles along special routes, which ensures speedier delivery. The option of branding is also available. 


• Fewer weight and size restrictions: Courier companies are less concerned with a parcel’s weight and size than are traditional delivery services. Shippers can send awkwardly shaped items and parcels weighing more than the maximum 31.5 kg that most postal services permit.


• Real-time tracking: Courier services provide shippers and recipients with real-time tracking, so everyone knows where shipments are at all points along the supply chain.


• Help desks: Courier companies typically have 24/7 help desks—staffed by humans rather than soulless bots. 


• Customs clearance: When goods are shipped across borders, international courier services take care of clearing the packages through customs. They also calculate taxes and duties. 


• Packaging: Courier companies have experts on hand to advise shippers on the best packaging method for the type of goods being shipped. On request, the experts will even package your fragile items for you.


Shipa Delivery’s Courier Service

We offer on-demand, same-day, and next-day courier services.

With our on-demand service, parcels can be delivered within hours in the GCC’s main urban centers. Each package is delivered on its own and not routed as part of a multi-drop scenario. Our sophisticated tracking software allows the shipper and the recipient to view the progress of packages at every step of the journey.

In addition,  recipients will see their packages live from their applications or through the web link.

The most popular items delivered on-demand by our courier services are pharmaceuticals and groceries, but, depending on the weight and/or size of the package, most other items also qualify for courier delivery.

We also offer an international courier service within the GCC.

Fast, Reliable Courier Services Throughout the GCC

If you require a speedy and secure delivery of one parcel, or several, contact Shipa Delivery’s help center and let us know your needs. Our delivery experts are waiting to get your package moving!

You can also download the ‘My Courier’ personal delivery app, which will allow you to get instant quotes and place delivery orders—with no fuss—in moments.