Groundfloor is revolutionizing parcel collection in university residences with student accommodation parcel lockers. Our systems are currently located in twelve university residences around Australia, including at Swinburne University, the University of Queensland, and the University of Adelaide, with more in development. Students are among the most prolific online shoppers worldwide and handling parcel volumes manually consumes hours of time that residential staff could instead use for caring for their students. By minimizing the need for human interaction and availability, Groundfloor lockers ensure deliveries can be made swiftly and efficiently.
Student Online Shopping Habits
Young people are globally renowned as major online shoppers. A Statista report in 2016 showed that 42% of young people (aged 18-24) use the Internet as their primary means of shopping. One key driver of this is the significant use of social media. In 2018, a study found that 88% of young people believe they are pervasively influenced to make purchases by social media. Now, with the additions of in-built shopping features on apps such as Instagram, this has never been easier. Furthermore, the pandemic continued to exacerbate the trend of young people and university students being major consumers of online retail, with under-30s being the category shopping online the most during 2020. The online shopping habits of young people means universities are often inundated with high parcel volumes. Student accommodation parcel lockers mitigate the stress put on residential colleges by removing the need for manual handling by staff.
How Student Accommodation Lockers Work
Student accommodation parcel lockers work by providing a single touchpoint between courier and recipient. Couriers interact directly with the locker system, eliminating the need for residential staff handling and mailrooms. Groundfloor lockers are accessible at all hours and accept couriers from any company. Using either a kiosk located in the locker system, or the Groundfloor mobile app, couriers complete a one-time registration process that grants them access to all Groundfloor systems. Every recipient is pre-registered in the system. At the completion of delivery, the courier is issued with a digital signature which is accepted as Authority to Leave by Australia Post and major courier companies.
For collection, an SMS is automatically sent to the recipient with a unique six-digit number and QR code, both of which can be used to pick up the parcel. Groundfloor also offers the option to integrate student accommodation registration portals such as StarRez directly into the Groundfloor system, ensuring every student is registered to receive parcels from move-in day.
Staff Benefits
Student accommodation parcel lockers benefit staff by saving hours of staff time, allowing them freedom to focus on critical tasks and caring for their students. Parcel lockers increase productivity by eliminating menial tasks such as parcel logging and notifying of students, hence reducing interruptions to staff. Storage of parcels in lockers also ensures office spaces are clean, improving both aesthetic and workplace safety. Prior to installation of Groundfloor student accommodation parcel lockers, staff at Swinburne University spent hours of time labelling parcels with the correct resident number, emailing students to inform them their parcel had arrived, and manually collecting the parcel from the mailroom. Now, with the automated Groundfloor system eliminating these tasks, staff say they cannot imagine how they used to ‘do it the old way’.
Student Benefits
Around the clock delivery and collection in student accommodation parcel lockers give students the benefit of picking up their parcels at all hours. A study at Swinburne University demonstrated that over 20% of parcels are collected after office hours. By cutting out handling by staff and mailroom sorting, students also enjoy reduced wait times, with the automated SMS notification system allowing students the option to collect their parcel as soon as it has been delivered. A reminder SMS is sent every 24 hours if the recipient has not picked up their parcel, a handy benefit for especially busy students. Eliminating staff handling and using the lockers as the sole point of contact between courier and recipient also provides enhanced privacy to students and increases traceability. Students at Swinburne University gave Groundfloor student accommodation parcels lockers a user satisfaction rating of 4.75 out of 5 during their pilot run.
