Poczta Polska is building a network of parcel collection machines
New Poczta Polska parcel collection machines will soon be installed at post offices and Biedronka stores. This is the next step in the development of the Pick-up Point service as part of Poczta Polska's growing share of the e-commerce market and its efforts to tailor its offerings to customer preferences.
By the end of the third quarter of this year, 200 machines will be operational, with some available to customers before the summer holidays. In the first phase, they will be installed in post offices and Biedronka stores in major metropolitan areas, including Warsaw, Łódź, Kraków, Katowice, Wrocław, the Tri-City area, and Poznań.
" Poczta Polska is an active participant in the e-commerce market, which is crucial to the Polish economy. Expanding our network is a prerequisite for the continued development of the courier business. That's why we've decided to add automated parcel collection machines to our offerings. We consistently want to offer our customers more locations for collecting their online purchases, " says Przemysław Sypniewski, CEO of Poczta Polska.
The devices will be supplied by SwipBox. The locations of the postal machines were chosen with the preferences and lifestyles of customers of online stores and online platforms in mind. The Biedronka chain of stores perfectly fits this concept as one of the most popular grocery shopping destinations for Poles. Additional advantages, besides its location, will be the convenience of collection and the security of parcel contents, ensured by the machines' location inside Biedronka stores. They will be available during store opening hours. The machines, however, located in designated areas of post offices, will be available 24 hours a day.
" Currently, Poczta Polska, together with its partners, is creating the largest network in the country, comprising over 11,500 locations. These post offices have a strong customer base, partly due to their convenient locations, so we've decided to streamline parcel collection by installing our automated mailboxes in some of them, " says Grzegorz Kurdziel, Member of the Management Board of Poczta Polska.
Research shows that not only the option of collecting parcels at a selected location but also from automated collection machines is becoming increasingly popular. The courier delivery channel to the self-service network represents a significant opportunity to improve Poczta Polska's competitive position in the parcel services market. It will ensure multi-channel delivery, enable the acquisition of new customers, and enable dynamic growth in parcel volumes, particularly in the e-commerce segment. Consequently, Poczta Polska will increase its share in the parcel and courier market.
The launch of Poczta Polska's partnership with SwipBox Polska marks a shift in the Polish courier market and a viable alternative to existing solutions. The option of collecting a parcel from a self-service machine is the third most popular method of collection, after courier delivery and in-person pickup. This data is confirmed by the Gemius 2018 "Ecommerce in Poland" report, which shows that the group of people actively shopping online falls within the age range of 15-49, with over half of them citing self-service machines as a delivery method that motivates them to shop online.