Belgium’s bpost has successfully started the first tests for bulk home deliveries and orders ofall kinds in several Belgian towns in its latest e-commerce move.
The pilot scheme is being conducted in the towns of Sint-Niklaas, Grammont and Turnhout. In theautumn, Mons will be added as the fourth town. Belgian citizens living in these areas can registerto take part in the tests.
Under the scheme, bpost is delivering all kinds of products in one single bulk delivery. Thesecould include goods from supermarkets or local shops, large stores or online retailers. To use theservice, customers need to contact bpost by phone or via internet to schedule the delivery time fortheir purchases ordered with one or several stores or via e-commerce sites.
Upon receipt of the order, bpost picks up the goods, delivers them at the agreed time and takesback certain goods from customers, if requested (e.g. for repairs). Customers pay by credit cardvia the mobile payment terminal, provided by a bpost partner, after which bpost pays theretailer.
Recipients can decide whether goods should be delivered as one bulk delivery. The platform alsooffers secure online payment of goods and delivery.
In Sint-Niklaas, bpost launched a digital platform “Nuvonet” in collaboration with municipalauthorities last month enabling customers to make purchases online from around 20 local retailerswhich bpost then delivers to homes along with other packages or orders. During the first phase, upto 100 people can test the service. This number will later be expanded to 800.
At Grammont, bpost is delivering hot meals to their customers, in collaboration with CompassGroup. This test has already been underway since March 1. It has run smoothly and has beenextended.
Bpost described the bulk delivery project as “strategically important” since home delivery couldstart to replace declining mail volumes over the long term. It responds to increasing demand fore-commerce solutions, including home deliveries at a time of the recipient’s choosing. This isexpected to improve customers’ quality of life and is also more environmentally friendly as onebulk delivery would replace several deliveries of individual goods.
During the initial phase of testing, the service is free. But after a certain period, bpost willask a fee from customers and retailers based on test results.
