Parcel Delivery Lockers to Get a Workout This Christmas

Parcel delivery lockers in residential and commercial buildings are set to get a workout this Christmas. Record parcel delivery volumes are expected for the 2020 holiday period. Some of this will be the surge in online shopping. It’s the busiest shopping period of the year at a time where many of us cannot visit our loved ones and friends. The rest of the inflation in parcel volumes will come from the backlog of deliveries caused by the pandemic. The must-have amenity is now a critical component of building operations this Christmas.

Parcel delivery lockers: the must-have amenity

Parcel delivery lockers became the must-have amenity well before the pandemic began. Spending online has been increasing steadily year on year. You need only look at the industrial property boom and heavy investment in parcel delivery infrastructure to see the strong signs of growth in the ecommerce industry.

This steady growth in ecommerce was already a problem for buildings not equipped with smart parcel lockers. Processes included double-handling of packages, manually logging deliveries and stacking parcels anywhere possible. Inefficient daily operations and hazardous, unsightly workspaces became normal. Inefficiencies in operations ultimately equal ‘costs which could be avoided’.

Parcel lockers provide automated and secure management of parcel deliveries without the need for staff involvement. They streamline operations, reduce operational costs, and allow recipients to collect at their own convenience. With the appearance of COVID-19, smart parcel lockers were able to respond by increasing contactless capabilities.

Parcel delivery lockers during COVID-19

Parcel delivery lockers have greatly assisted building occupants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Facilities faced enormous pressure to provide a hygienic and efficient solution to parcel deliveries. Safe parcel delivery suddenly became a high priority. Some buildings without parcel lockers had to inform occupants that building staff could no longer handle parcels due to coronavirus concerns.

Coronavirus concerns meant reducing the number of visitors to the building became important, too. New requirements for commercial buildings and guidelines for apartments were introduced as safety measures against the spread of infection. Requirements and guidelines now specify COVIDsafe processes for all deliveries. This includes providing contactless delivery and reducing the number of staff involved. It is also a requirement to keep building visitor numbers down. The frequency with which couriers are delivering into the same buildings has also increased.

Smart parcel delivery lockers help because they allow completely contactless delivery and collection. They also keep couriers out of lifts and lobbies. Many buildings have been able to quickly and easily implement Groundfloor™ parcel lockers for parcels, mail, equipment sharing, and other needs. The pandemic showed the benefits of Groundfloor™ are more than just efficient parcel delivery.

Parcel deliveries this Christmas

Parcel deliveries this Christmas are expected to break records. Australia Post’s 2019 forecast was that 12% of consumer spending would be conducted online by 2021. However, with the coronavirus online sales reached 12% of total retail for the month of March alone. Victorian’s bought online in even higher numbers during Lockdown 2.0 than during the initial March to May period.

Delivery networks are overwhelmed by the volume of parcels. The need to adhere to coronavirus safety measures is also slowing down their ability to catch up. This has created a major backlog of parcel deliveries. Victoria also sent loads of parcels for sorting outside the state, creating longer delivery delays. Head of analytics at Power Retail, David Fear, predicted in a recent article, “the worst is yet to come during the peak November-December Christmas period.”

Delivery companies across Australia are preparing for the unprecedented November-December Christmas peak. Australia Post recently launched their biggest ever recruitment drive. Sendle is increasing it’s delivery network. The pandemic has also created several new hyperlocal courier services and launched some delivery startups.

Parcel Delivery Lockers the heroes this Christmas

Parcel delivery lockers will be the heroes this Christmas. The only way for buildings to cope with the coming parcel volumes is to provide automated, contactless delivery and collection. There are several reasons why parcel lockers are needed at this time. Here are just a few:

Direct couriers away from lifts and lobbies

Parcel delivery lockers are an effective way to direct couriers away from lifts and lobbies. Groundfloor™ parcel lockers can be located outside under shelter. High parcel delivery volumes not only mean more packages to deal with. They also mean couriers are delivering to your building many more times a day. However, with parcel lockers they deliver straight into the lockers so building staff do not need to interact with contractors at all.

Provide alternatives to physical signatures

You can provide alternatives to physical signatures with smart parcel lockers. The Groundfloor™ parcel locker system creates a Digital Signature every time a delivery is made. This eliminates the need for physical contact and provides utmost security and traceability.

Provide contactless gift exchange

Contactless exchanging of gifts will be a special smart building feature this Christmas. It is obvious we’ll need to maintain a sense of caution and awareness for some time. Maintaining health precautions are crucial to the reopening and reoccupying of our urban and high-density environments. Hygienic, no-touch processes for delivery and collection are not possible without a Groundfloor™ parcel locker system.

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