1.
Slide: Title of the thesis, name of the student and the supervisor
2. Slide: Relevance/current importance of the topic
3. Slide: Objectives
4. Slide: Literature review (in bullet points)
5. Slide: Research questions (hypotheses, if a statistical analysis was conducted)
6-8. Slides: Results of your own research illustrated with charts (if applicable)
9. Slide: Conclusions and recommendations (verification of the research questions and/or
hypotheses)
10. Slide: Summary
11. Slide: Thank you for your attention!
Good morning. Today, I am going to present my bachelor thesis, titled Selecting the Optimal Last-
Mile Partner: A Structured Analysis of the Hungarian Parcel Delivery Market for E-commerce Startups
in 2025. This research tackles a vital intersection of digital commerce and operational logistics. I will
walk you through, firstly, the relevance of the topic, the objectives, literature review, and the results.
To understand the relevance of this topic, we must look at the immense economic pressure of the
modern supply chain ổncosts.
In Hungary, this pressure is magnified by the 'Temu Effect'. In 2024, Chinese ultra-low-cost platforms
posed a great challenge to local start-ups. To survive the fierce competition, choosing an optimal
logistics partner is a survival strategy.
While the logistical burden is well-documented, a significant research gap exists. Academic literature
frequently focuses theoretical analysis on operations management or sustainability trends, but not a
practical guidance for e-commerce startups to evaluate real-world logistics partners.
Therefore, the primary objective of my thesis is to fill this gap by engineering a multi-criteria decision
making model specifically for the Hungarian market. Along the way, my research directly addresses
four core questions:
1. What defines the characteristics of the Hungarian e-commerce landscape as of 2025?
2. What criteria are most critical for assessing third-party logistics (3PL) partners within the
Hungarian e-commerce context?
3. According to the proposed model (TOPSIS), how do the primary Hungarian logistics providers rank
regarding overall service offering?
4. How can the decision-making model be adapted to serve the distinct requirements of startup
archetypes?
Let’s move on to the theoretical framework. The last mile is complex in its nature as it must break
shipments down into individual parcels for highly fragmented locations. This introduces the 'cost-
speed paradox'. While 80% of modern consumers expect immediate, flexible deliveries, carriers
struggle with the skyrocketing logistical costs and high first-attempt failure rate.
To mitigate this, the global landscape in 2025 is undergoing an Out-of-Home revolution - Rapid
expansion of shared parcel locker networks and open infrastructure across Europe, and green
initiatives.
To build the decision-making model, I synthesized nine critical evaluation criteria across five
dimensions: Cost, Performance, Network, Technology, and Sustainability and selected four providers
with different offerings.
The MCDM model chosen for this research is the TOPSIS framework, which takes into account the
criteria to assess a logistics partner (in the columns) and alternatives (which are the selected logistics
providers – in the rows).
When I execute the multi-step TOPSIS algorithm under equal weighting, a clear hierarchy emerges.
GLS secures the first position with a Closeness Coefficient of 0.670. Even though it ranks lower on
base pricing, its exceptional reliability and API ecosystems pull it closest to the positive ideal solution.
DPD captures a second place at 0.575. FOXPOST and MPL occupy the third and fourth positions.
The true strategic value of this thesis, however, lies in the sensitivity analysis, where I adjust the
weights to reflect the actual corporate strategies of distinct startup archetypes.
Notice how the mathematical reality flips based on strategic priorities. For Archetype 1, the Cost-
Focused Startup shifting 60% weight to pricing, FOXPOST climbs to 1st place thanks to its efficient
locker-to-locker model, while GLS sinks to last. For Archetype 2, the Service-Oriented Startup, GLS
takes the lead. Most strikingly, under Archetype 3's Nationwide Mass-Market strategy, which
demands deep rural penetration (60% weight on national reach), MPL rockets from last place straight
to 1st at 0.798. In short, the new weights shift the model from a static chart into a highly
customizable decision tool.
To conclude, this thesis provided concrete answers to my four core research questions.
For Question 1, The Hungarian e-commerce arena in 2025 is growing robustly but faces fierce
pressure from cross-border giants.
For Question 2, My research indicates that a price-only approach is obsolete. Startups must evaluate
partners across five modern dimensions: Cost, Performance, Network, Technology, and Sustainability.
For Question 3, The baseline TOPSIS algorithm ranks the domestic providers in the following order:
GLS, DPD, then FOXPOST, and finally MPL.
This leads directly to Question 4, The weight should be dynamically adjusted to match specific
startup archetypes. For example, the cost-focused startup should give more weight to price and COD
fees, while the service-oriented startup should assign more weight to reliability and customer tech.
This part reflects the core contribution of this thesis: how to adapt the model to meet specific
business needs.
My major recommendation for founders is to match their strategy to a partner's operational profile.
There is no single 'best' logistics provider in Hungary; the optimal choice is entirely contingent on
strategic alignment.
Thank you for your kind attention, and I welcome any questions from the committee.