Australia Post has teamed up with fulfilment technology provider, Doddle, to extend its Collect & Return network of locations for online shopping.
Australia Post Collect & Return will offer shoppers the choice to collect and return online shopping at a diverse network of locations including Post Offices, 24/7 Parcel Lockers, supermarkets, pharmacies and department stores nationwide.
At launch, the network of retail partners will include selected IGA supermarkets, Priceline pharmacies, Aventus Group shopping centres and selected assets managed by 151 Property Retail. This will grow in the new year, offering shoppers extended trading hours and added locations to collect and return their online shopping.
The partnership will build on Australia Post’s existing network of over 4300 Post Offices, parcel lockers in more than 350 locations and 15,500 Street Posting Boxes to make it easier for customers to choose where and when they collect and return their online shopping.
Customers will be able to select a location from a map offered in the checkout of their favourite online retailers. Notifications will be sent to customers advising when parcels are ready for collection.
Returns upgraded
Returning items will also be quicker and easier, with shoppers able to register returns online which will generate a barcode for them to present in-store, without needing to print a label. Post Offices and retail partners scan the customer’s barcode and accept the parcel over the counter, for Australia Post to return.
Justin Dery, CEO of Doddle Asia-Pacific, said that combining Australia Post’s unrivalled delivery network with Doddle’s parcel collect and return technology, creates a major step-change in the Australian e-commerce delivery landscape.
“‘Pick-up’ services are the fastest growing delivery option globally and with 35 percent of Australian consumers picking up an online order last year, the potential in this market is huge,’ he explained.
Amazon too
Amazon has also announced beefed-up delivery options, first in NSW and Victoria.
The Amazon service is via lockers in Commonwealth Bank branches, Victorian news agencies and some (Stockland) shopping centres, and eventually at participating retailer counters.
A locker pick-up is initiated by an email message that includes a unique barcode and a six-digit code. The buyer can go to the locker and either scan the barcode or enter the six-digit code to retrieve the parcel.
Amazon Australia has flagged thousands of these ‘Hub’ locations across the nation by 2020.
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