Singapore Post Limited : POPStation Poised to Revolutionise Parcel Delivery in Singapore
04/16/2013| 02:43am US/Eastern
For Immediate Release
POPStation poised to revolutionise parcel delivery in Singapore
Initiative set to redefine customer experience and leverage on growing e-commerce trend
Singapore, 16 April 2013 - Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) has today launched a free public offering, the POPStation or "Pick Own Parcel Station", that has the potential to revolutionise the parcel delivery in Singapore. These 24/7 smart lockers enable customers to collect their parcels in 5 simple steps, in their own time; be it after office hours, over the weekend or on a public holiday.
The rapidly expanding B2C e-commerce industry in Singapore, which saw an estimated market value of S$1.6 billion1 in 2011, has led to an increase in parcel volumes over the past few years. The growth in Singapore's B2C e-commerce market is expected to continue and it is projected to be worth S$4.4 billion by 2014.
Dr Wolfgang Baier, Group CEO of SingPost, said: "We are constantly studying the changing lifestyles of customers and are focusing our efforts on providing services that meet their needs. The POPStation is one such example where customers get service faster and closer to their homes or offices."
POPStation - named by the public
The catchy and fitting name POPStation, which means 'Pick Own Parcel Station', was chosen through a poll conducted by SingPost among vPOST users and visitors to its website, who chose the name POPStation. Since unveiling the name, there has been feedback that the word 'pop' was associated with the sound of the locker opening as well as with popping to the lockers to use them.
Exclusive trial findings
Prior to the pilot launch of POPStation today, SingPost conducted an exclusive trial over the past month. During the trial 80% of users retrieved their parcels within three calendar days. Over 60% of users collected their parcels after office hours. We found that the period around 7pm was the busiest, where most users visited POPStation on their way home from work. In addition, 30% of users collected their parcels over the weekend.
1 Source: Yahoo!
2 Source: Singapore Management University/ PayPal
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These observations reinforce the need to offer 24/7 services that put the control of time back into customers' hands.
5 simple steps
The POPStation is extremely easy to use, aimed at enhancing the customer experience, through five simple steps:
Step 1: Users receive an SMS or email notifying them to collect their parcel at a POPStation.
Step 2: Users 'pop' over to the POPStation location.
Step 3: Users scan a QR code or key in a pin number to open the locker at the POPStation.
Step 4: Users collect their parcel from the locker.
Step 5: Users close the locker door.
The POPStation caters to two groups of customers, namely vPOST customers who have selected POPStation as their delivery choice and customers living in the vicinity of POPStation, who were not at home to receive their parcels. Users will have three calendar days to collect their parcels. However, during the pilot period, this has been extended to five calendar days to allow users time to get used to this new service.
The pilot
The POPStation will be rolled out at five locations including Bishan Community Club, NUS Stephen Riady Centre, Sengkang Community Club, Tanglin Post Office and at the Singapore Post Centre building. Each POPStation has about 115 lockers, with four different locker dimensions to cater to different parcel sizes. The pilot phase is expected to take three to four months, and SingPost invites the public to visit www.mypopstation.com to provide suggestions on future POPStation locations.
Added Dr Baier: "We will study the pilot closely and fine-tune the processes so that our customers get maximum benefit from this new way of receiving their parcels. If customers respond well to the POPStation pilot, we plan to roll out up to 100
POPStations island wide. This will take our total customer touchpoints to beyond 500. We are looking at the possibility of placing the lockers at more locations, such as residential and office areas, around MRT stations, bus interchanges and shopping malls that are accessible 24/7 to the public. There are also plans to eventually allow users to post parcels via the POPStation."
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This platform is an integral part of our Speedpost service in Singapore. After the pilot phase, this platform is available to all e-commerce businesses from e-blogshops to large e-commerce businesses as long as they connect to the POPStation system.
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About Singapore Post Limited
(Reg. No. 199201623M)
Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) is the national postal service provider in Singapore offering trusted communications through domestic and international postal services as well as end-to- end integrated mail solutions covering secure data printing, letter-shopping, delivery and mailroom management, among others. As the trusted communications service provider for more than 150 years, SingPost today goes beyond physical postal communications to offer secure digital communications solutions as part of integrated solutions to its customers.
With its competencies in mail, logistics and e-commerce, SingPost is able to offer integrated e- commerce logistics solutions tailored to customers' needs. Having one of the largest multi- channel distribution networks in Singapore, regional operations in 12 countries and access to a global postal network of more than 220 countries/territories, SingPost is also well-positioned to provide end-to-end e-commerce logistics solutions such as warehousing, pick and pack, delivery and returns management for B2B, B2C and B2B4C customers in Singapore and the region.
SingPost was ranked the top postal agency in an Accenture report in March 2013. SingPost also gained international acclaim when it was bestowed the Service Provider of the Year 2012 award by Postal Technology International.
SingPost was listed on the Main Board of the Singapore Exchange in 2003. To learn more about
SingPost, please visit www.singpost.com.
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For general information on SingPost, call 1605 toll-free or visit us at www.singpost.com
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