After running a successful trial of Parcel Postboxes, the Royal Mail are launching parcel postboxes throughout the U.K, in an effort to make it easier for small businesses to use their online Click & Drop shipping platform. Allowing online retailers or hobbyist eBay sellers to drop off small parcels at convenient locations closer to home or work saves trips to the local Post Office.
While the volume of parcels being sent through the logistics networks in the UK rise and the volume of letters decrease, it makes sense that the Royal Mail innovate on parcel mail. Not to mention the contentious point of the number of physical Post Office locations closing. The new project by the Royal Mail could be seen to compete directly with locker and drop-off parcel services such as Collect+ and InPost, who expose logistics networks through a large spread of small service points, either in shops, petrol stations or via automated parcel lockers. Although, for high value shipments where signatures and various other enhancements are needed, it's not yet clear how well the parcel postboxes will capture the small parcel market.
The news of the successful trial comes not long after Amazon in the US announced their planned integration of sophisticated packaging robots that can pack up to 700 parcels an hour.
Fore more information on Royal Mails Parcel Post Office service, see their website. If you are a small or medium business that is looking for a more seamless, automated way to ship your parcels, try Shiptheory for free today.
