Singapore Post has unveiled its 100th POPStation and announced it will double the size of its parcel locker network to 200 locations as well as test new residential ‘personal’ parcel terminals in the coming months.
Supplied by Australia’s TZ Limited, the 100th terminal for parcel delivery and collection in Singapore was opened on Saturday (May 16) at the Killiney Road Post Office, just two years after the first ‘POPStation’ was tested to support the country’s growing $4.4 billion e-commerce industry.
The high density network and the convenience offered by POPStations help enhance online shopping, the postal group explained. Singaporeans retrieved their parcels within two calendar days last year, down from three in 2013, and the age profile of POPStation consumers is between 20s and 40s.
Ms Lim Ann Nee, Senior Vice President of Singapore Parcel at SingPost said: “SingPost invested in the POPStations to further raise the level of convenience for customers, particularly with the growth of ecommerce items. It was very well-received as it has revolutionised parcel collection and delivery processes for both customers and service providers in Singapore.
“We have also added new innovative features to enhance customer experience such as POPStation app, posting of parcels and payment service for online purchases. The POPStation is popular with consumers. Parcel volumes to the POPStations have increased six-fold.”
Looking ahead, she added: “We are committed to continue meeting the needs of our customers. POPStations are scalable and they are just the thing to meet the boom in ecommerce as well as lifestyle needs and priorities of online shoppers. We have just rolled out the Android version of the POPStation app. To make online shopping easier and more convenient, we plan to double the number of POPStations to 200.”
The next move will be to test smaller locker boxes, branded as P-POPs (Personal POPStations), which are designed for installation at residential or SME addresses. Ann Nee continued: “P-POPS will dovetail SingPost’s plans to transform how we serve our customers and strengthen our parcel delivery service in Singapore.”
The innovative P-POPs leverage mobile technology and have no user interface as they are entirely managed by smart device/phone and communicate direct with the consumer’s smart device/phone via Bluetooth. The machines, manufactured by TZ under the name ‘OurPAD’, can operate for a year on just three (3) AA batteries, and effectively brings the parcel locker network direct to a consumer’s home.
Mark Bouris, Executive Chairman of TZ Limited, which supplies the lockers to SingPost, commented: “We are pleased to be a key technology provider of the POPStation network and to the development of the POPStation network. We are looking forward to the further expansion of the network throughout Singapore and to closer collaboration and cooperation in the future. Our latest innovation, the individual and personalised locker, branded by SingPost as P-POPS will be piloted this year and should set another benchmark in expanding the boundaries of last mile parcel delivery.”
He added: “We have great plans for our OurPAD product, starting with the pilot with SingPost. This next generation production version in my view, addresses all the implementation considerations around price, power supply, courier and customer access. We are confident that this new product offering will become a significant part of our portfolio and the patented technology elements will filter into our other offerings. This is a world first for TZ and demonstrates our capability to deliver state-of-the-art technology that our customers and the market are demanding.”
