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DHL Express – a subsidiary of the German logistics giant, Deutsche Post DHL – has launched its On Demand Delivery service in six Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, according to a statement released on Tuesday.

The Bonn-headquartered company said the service is currently deployed in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mauritius and Tanzania, with plans to roll out the service to more countries in SSA in 2017.

The On Demand Delivery offers shippers the choice to activate specific delivery options, allowing DHL Express to proactively notify their customers via email or SMS about a shipment’s progress. Customers can then select the delivery option that best suits their requirements via the On Demand Delivery website.

DHL Express said the service is specifically tailored to international e-commerce deliveries, where the majority of shipments are addressed to residential addresses and customers place considerable emphasis on flexibility and convenience.

“Globally, we have seen the share of e-commerce deliveries grow from about 10 percent in 2013 to more than 20 percent of the international volumes of DHL Express in 2016,” said Hennie Heymans, CEO of DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa. “Our On Demand Delivery service was developed with the needs of our customers at the very core. E-tailers and their customers continue to evolve and we needed to ensure that our services continue to exceed customer expectations.”

DHL Express said shippers can incorporate their own branding into customer notifications, while receivers can schedule a delivery, arrange delivery to a nearby DHL Service Point or their own alternate address, and even request that a shipment is put on hold during a vacation. The On Demand Delivery site is accessed from any smartphone, tablet or PC, and offers receivers up to six delivery options.

On Demand Delivery will be deployed to more than 100 countries across the globe in 2017, accounting for the majority of global trade and online retail activity, and is available in over 45 languages, the company said.

Founded in 1969, DHL Express provides international express mail service delivery around the world. The company employs over 325,000 employees worldwide.