unnecessary conflict, page-9

OurPad is a great idea, but it will be a niche product for a considerable period of time. Every house in the street will not have an ourPad anytime soon.

The main play in the short term is going to be Locker banks, initially at post offices. If demand is great enough, lockers are likely to be rolled out at more centralised locations, e.g. at Coles Express!

I live in a street with 150 houses. I would be stunned if more than 50 of them needed a parcel locker more than once a month.

The other factor that works against OurPad in most locations is vandalism. Very few people are going to put an expensive post box out the front of their house. To work, these units will need to be integrated into the house structure or a good front wall.

Having said that, I suspect the OurPad (and possibly locker banks) play will run in a similar way to mobile phone antenna poles. Someone who sees a market will build a common use infrastructure. That person may well be Australia Post - starting Post Office Lockers, branching out to Coles Express and OurPad, if demand warrants such investment.

My initial reaction to the OurPad was very similar to yours, Hanky. However, it is quite possible that OurPad, instead of canabilsing the Aust Post strategy, gives Aust Post a vision of how it might gain a piece of all parcel and online shopping deliveries into the future.