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Carrier-agnostic parcel lockers
Quadient
Locker operator Quadient will install 500 carrier-agnostic parcel lockers in the UK in 2022, and a further 5,000 in the coming years. These will enable UK carriers and retailers to offer convenient parcel pickup and drop-off locations and an exceptional shopping experience to their customers, with a flexible choice of pickup times and locations.
Quadient’s teams have ensured technical integration with the systems of key carriers in the UK and have secured hundreds of prime locations for locker units to enable rapid scaling. The company’s ambition is to establish a dense, large and scalable network to consolidate first- and last-mile deliveries, especially in urban areas where there is medium to high delivery density. Having readily available, open access to a large parcel delivery network alleviates the mounting pressure on carriers and retailers to scale to increasing demand and parcel volumes.
The carrier-agnostic Parcel Pending by Quadient intelligent locker network will significantly contribute to reducing stops and missed deliveries, achieving cost savings and consolidating drop-offs, returns and pickups into one-stop via secure, 24/7-accessible lockers. Maintaining a clear and transparent chain of custody is ensured thanks to a secure and centralized tracking and parcel management system. The lockers can also manage returns and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) parcels, helping retailers and carriers address the increasing customer demand for simplicity and convenience when shipping, returning or picking up their online shopping.
Geoffrey Godet, CEO at Quadient, said, “We believe that building and growing a large, dense and open intelligent locker network with an agnostic approach is the best way forward to address the challenges of large and growing e-commerce markets such as the UK, the third-largest global e-commerce market. Our approach is to offer a common infrastructure available to any carrier or retailer for a volume-based fee, ensuring it is financially viable for all parties. Building on our extensive experience managing large open networks, particularly in Japan, we are confident that customer adoption and usage will increase rapidly as we work with our partners to grow our footprint, enabling us to deliver the service in a profitable and sustainable manner.
“We are creating the most compelling out-of-home delivery offer for the UK market, and we have already secured the commitment of one strategic partner, kicking off the 500 first installations to be completed by the end of 2022. With our proven experience, our scale in the parcel locker business globally and the support of a strong team in the UK, we are ready to onboard other major market players in the coming months as our network grows.”
Duncan Groom, chief operating officer for DACH, Italy, UK and Ireland at Quadient, added, “Our main focus is on convenience and cost-effectiveness, making sure that each unit in the field is in the right place for easy access and has the right capacity based on our partner carriers’ data and experience. Quadient’s Parcel Pending technology is modular and scalable, capable of adapting to customer requirements and evolving while volume grows. With limited space available in urban areas, it is important to preserve public space from multiple proprietary parcel locker networks. We also believe that consumers should be able to receive their parcels in their preferred location, regardless of the retailer or carrier they choose. We absolutely trust that making our solution available to all retailers, carriers and users will accelerate parcel locker adoption and contribute to reducing environmental impact while providing the peace of mind of 24/7 parcel pickup and drop-off.”