Abstract
Over the last decade, e-commerce has spurred the growth in parcel lockers. This relatively new phenomenon has the potential to significantly impact different aspects of the traditional postal delivery model. First of all, preliminary research shows that consumers approach parcel lockers positively, although it is yet only used by a rather small part of end users. Secondly, parcel locker delivery is estimated to be more cost efficient than traditional home delivery. Thirdly, parcel lockers are expected to have a positive impact on ecological sustainability. This paper gives an overview of the parcel locker landscape of several countries with differing postal market characteristics. The paper continues with an analysis of the sustainability and cost efficiency of parcel lockers. Finally, some potential regulatory challenges are outlined.
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Notes
- 1.
Patent named ‘autonomous delivery platform’ with patent number 9.256.852 B1 granted on 09/02/2016.
- 2.
- 3.
Here, the popularity was measured by the question ‘Considering your online shopping experiences of the past 12 months, where have you had your parcels delivered to?’.
- 4.
A total of 20 innovations with regard to shopping online was presented to the respondents, such as clear information about delivery charges before purchase, a simple and reliable return process, full visibility on the delivery process and the possibility to select the delivery speed.
- 5.
With young adults within the age group of 15–35.
- 6.
Young adults were asked what the reason was for which they made use of a parcel locker. Possible answers were: lower delivery cost, 24/7 availability, delivery speed, environmental considerations and brand confidence.
- 7.
BIPT launched in 2017 the www.postalpoint.be website displaying the postal access points (including parcel lockers) of all active operators in the Belgian postal market.
- 8.
- 9.
PostNL press release of 29 October 2014: https://www.postnl.nl/over-postnl/pers-nieuws/persberichten/2014/oktober/postnl-start-installatie-pakketautomaten-op-grote-ns-stations-en-op-schiphol.html.
- 10.
- 11.
Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is the use of radio waves to read and capture information stored on a tag attached to an object. A tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need to be within direct line-of-sight of the reader to be tracked (Source: EPC-RFID Info).
- 12.
- 13.
Worldwide, DP/DHL has around 7000 Paketboxes.
- 14.
- 15.
2014 data. See footnote supra.
- 16.
- 17.
- 18.
- 19.
- 20.
- 21.
- 22.
- 23.
- 24.
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- 26.
Bpost year report 2014: http://corporate.bpost.be/~/media/Files/B/Bpost/annual-reports/ar-2014.PDF.
- 27.
Bpost press release (4 October 2017): http://corporate.bpost.be/media/press-releases/2017/04-10-2017?sc_lang=en.
- 28.
- 29.
InPost is a Polish postal operator with an extensive network of nearly 5000 parcel lockers in over 20 countries (with among them UK, Italy, Canada, Russia).
- 30.
Fully occupied parcel lockers and oversized parcels are two examples of what can negatively impact the hit rate.
- 31.
- 32.
This daily amount also includes B2B deliveries, which will not be delivered in a parcel locker.
- 33.
(5 × 150)/190,000 = 0.4%.
- 34.
- 35.
C2X consists of both C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer) and C2B (Consumer-to-Business) parcels.
- 36.
- 37.
The CNMC-position remains, however, questionable seen the physical and technological investments which are necessary to develop a parcel lockers network (see Sect. 5.4).
- 38.
Parcel lockers have the potential to significantly reduce delivery costs since parcels can be bundled and the hit rate is much higher as compared to traditional home delivery.
- 39.
It is noteworthy that, before assessing competition aspects, first one has to define the relevant market. One needs to determine if parcel lockers represent as such a separate market or a simple convenience in complement to the provision of a more general delivery and collection service of postal items.
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Zurel, Ö., Van Hoyweghen, L., Braes, S., Seghers, A. (2018). Parcel Lockers, an Answer to the Pressure on the Last Mile Delivery?. In: Parcu, P., Brennan, T., Glass, V. (eds) New Business and Regulatory Strategies in the Postal Sector. Topics in Regulatory Economics and Policy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02937-1_22
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