Westfield and Stockland are looking to ramp up their digital footprint after partnering with logistics firm CouriersPlease (CP) to launch pick up and return parcel points across 31 shopping centres.
The new partnership will now enable Aussies who shop online through a CouriersPlease-partnered retailer to pick up their purchases from parcel lockers, dubbed POPStations,in 22 Westfield shopping centres, and nine Stockland centres across three states.
The service works by allowing online shoppers to redirect their parcel delivery to a shopping centre POPStation during the goods transit process, if they will not be home to sign for it.
“In our rapidly evolving retail environment, customers and retailers alike are migrating online to meet the growing demand for convenience and choice,” said CP CEO Mark McGinley.
“CP’s partnerships with Westfield and Stockland are helping to evolve goods delivery alongside the changes in retail, and helping consumers combine their enjoyment of online shopping with the bricks-and-mortar retail experience.
“We partnered with technology company TZ in 2015 to develop the POPStations, when we knew the Australian market needed more flexibility in parcel deliveries. POPStations enhance the online shopping experience for Australian shoppers by allowing customers to send parcels at a time that suits them, at a location that suits them.”
The logistics firm said market research has shown 48 per cent of shoppers collect parcels from flexible delivery locations because they are not home to receive the parcel, and 29 per cent choose delivery collection points for the convenience.
As time-poor consumers demand ever more efficient delivery methods, they are increasingly choosing pick-up and drop-off (PUDO) locations, which include parcel lockers and third-party retailers like convenience stores, and home-delivery subscription services like Amazon Prime.
In its 2016 channel report on click and collect in the UK, Verdict Retail predicted PUDO will grow by 117 per cent between 2016 and 2021.
Australian delivery start-up ParcelPoint claims its business has ramped up considerably in the past two years. The start-up launched five years ago, with the aim of turning pharmacies, convenience stores, newsagencies and shopping centres into hubs where people could collect and return their online orders after hours and on weekends.
Over 200 retailers now offer ParcelPoint as a delivery or return option or both, including The Iconic, ASOS, Amazon and Ebay.
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