Quadient is offering residential ‘Parcel Pending by Quadient’ smart parcel lockers in Ireland to profit from e-commerce growth in the country.
The move, which follows its recent launch in the UK and the introduction of Oversize Lockers for bulky goods, was announced ahead of the company’s participation in the Residential Investment and Development Conference in Dublin on November 10.
Supporting e-commerce growth
The French delivery industry supplier said that by providing secure, self-service smart parcel lockers to businesses across the country, together with a dedicated support center and response and repair team, it will help the Irish economy to capitalize on the property boom by simplifying parcel delivery and improving residents’ experience.
In particular, with the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) expecting 50,000 new homes to be built during 2022 and 2023, Quadient will help property developers and property management organizations transform parcel pickup: providing a secure location for residents’ parcel deliveries with 24/7 access; in turn freeing up time for building management to deal with other tasks; and reducing the physical and environmental footprint of parcel delivery.
Serving apartment blocks
“Property is a highly competitive marketplace in Ireland, and high-density housing will be crucial to meeting the country’s housing needs,” said Ian Caminsky, SVP and MD Parcel Locker Solutions, UKI & DACHIT at Quadient.
“This demands a new approach for processing parcels and packages. An Post alone delivered 56 million packets and parcels in its last reporting year – an average of 29 per household. Combine that figure with deliveries from other carriers, and management teams at high-occupancy communities will be faced with a flood of parcels every week.
“Employees will either need to receive, log, store and distribute these parcels, taking time away from other tasks, or run the risk of unwatched parcels potentially being stolen. Automated lockers can reduce the pressure on management teams, while creating a more pleasant, liveable service and environment for residents.”
New opportunities
Quadient, which already has a presence in Ireland through its mailing and customer experience services, noted that by bringing Parcel Pending smart lockers into the country, it will provide more opportunities to the property industry to realize the benefits of automated lockers. These include:
- Increased security – Ensuring packages can only be picked up by the intended recipient, reducing opportunities for parcel theft and giving residents confidence they live in a safe environment.
- Improved efficiency – It can take up to four minutes for a delivery driver and building staff to complete handover of a package – plus the time to hand it to the recipient. Quadient’s parcel lockers reduce this time to seconds, freeing up the delivery driver and building staff time.
- Reduced footprint – Instead of maintaining a dedicated desk for parcels, developers and building managers can provide a secure, unobtrusive way to give residents access to their deliveries 24/7.
- Digital integration – Quadient’s parcel lockers are designed to integrate with cloud services and applications, for instance resident engagement portals – allowing property managers to offer a modern, streamlined experience and immediate access to their services to residents.
- Environmental impact – By guaranteeing delivery the first time, preventing re-visits, and ensuring that couriers and residents only have to visit a single location, parcel lockers help both reduce emissions and create a safer environment for residents.
With nearly 17,000 installations worldwide serving millions of users, Quadient claimed it has considerable experience and existing footprint to benefit not only the Irish residential market and university accommodation, but also retail and home delivery, where parcel lockers can improve efficiency, guarantee delivery, and offer a better service to customers.
Exciting market
“We are dedicated to the Irish market and are excited about making the most of our expertise in the country,” continued Caminsky. “We have undeniable evidence of the benefits developers, property managers and residents have already seen from our lockers: to the extent that for many developments the lockers themselves have become a selling point for new residents. Indeed, in some locations we have seen the number of lockers triple following positive feedback.
“The future of high-density housing is one that makes best use of the space available; reduces the impact on the environment; and gives residents the fastest and easiest possible access to the services they need, without compromising their comfort or security. Our parcel lockers are an essential part of this vision, and we look forward to making this journey in Ireland.”
