Łódź first InPost partner in pact for Polish cities
InPost - a leader among e-commerce delivery platforms in Europe - has concluded an agreement with the City of Łódź on the implementation of the 'Green City' concept, as part of which InPost will offer a package of modern services. This pact for Polish cities will make it possible to significantly reduce CO2 emissions and car traffic in city centres. It is also the realisation of the idea of city management based on 'Smart City' assumptions. Łódź residents will soon have access to, among other things, an even wider network of InPost devices - the city has made 70 new locations available - as well as a wider range of city services - including electric car chargers at Paczkomat®. As part of the agreement, InPost will gradually increase its fleet of electric cars in Lodz in order to achieve full zero-emission by a guaranteed date agreed with the city.
"We all know how disastrous the air quality is especially in large cities. Its improvement is a requirement of the present, not the distant future. That is why we have offered the city of Łódź to be the first partner in Poland of our 'Green City' programme. It is designed to significantly reduce emissions resulting from the development of e-commerce - by reducing CO2 emissions and car traffic in city centres, as well as the introduction of electric cars instead of combustion-powered ones. Paczkomat® InPost - as the most environmentally friendly form of parcel delivery, which significantly, by as much as 75%, reduces CO2 emissions compared to traditional courier deliveries - has been part of this programme for years. Now we are going a step further - as part of our programme, we are also supporting the implementation of the 'smart city' idea, i.e. mobile access to a range of city services and the construction of a network of electric chargers located next to the machines. Łódź is the first city with our new offer, but what is important is that every city or municipality in Poland can join our green pact and receive an eco-package together with a fixed date for replacing the fleet of courier cars serving the city with electric cars. Polish cities also understand the pollution problem - interest in the project has exceeded our expectations, so we are planning further implementations soon. So far, no courier company in the world has offered a similar solution. The environment is our shared responsibility - we start with ourselves." - underlines Rafał Brzoska, CEO of InPost.
"Łódź is a leader among Polish cities when it comes to activities that increase the comfort of life for residents. We decided to cooperate with InPost, one of the leaders of innovation in Poland, because we want the citizens of Łódź to be able to conveniently collect their parcels as close to their place of residence as possible - without having to commute or stand in queues. At present, this is the most environmentally friendly form of collection available, and at the same time guarantees reduced traffic congestion in the city and safety related to the epidemic situation. We are betting on low-emission deliveries through Paczkomat® instead of traditional courier deliveries, because they are convenient for Łódź residents and beneficial for the city. Besides, among our other pro-environmental activities, cooperation with InPost will certainly contribute to further environmental improvements in Łódź." - she said Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of Łódź.
The carbon footprint calculator indicates that if traditional courier deliveries to homes were replaced by delivery to appliances, the reduction in CO2 emissions would reach up to 75%[1] . Delivering a parcel to an InPost machine means at least 0.35 kg less CO2 emissions into the atmosphere per parcel. This makes InPost the most environmentally neutral logistics provider.
In 2020, InPost has implemented a revolutionary new service for sending parcels via an app. You send them on an InPost device - to another device or to a designated home address. There is no need to stick any labels on the parcel - just an electronically generated QR code or a sending code in the app. The parcel can be paid for with a BLIK code. Further payment options will appear in the app in 2021: payment card, Dotpay fast transfers, Apple Pay, Google Pay. The status of a shipped parcel can be tracked in the app, of course, but also on the inpost.pl website in the 'parcel tracking' section and via chatbot by entering the 24-digit parcel number. Thanks to the application, parcels can be collected by several people at the same time at one device, without the need to stand in a queue. The InPost Mobile app can be downloaded from the Google Play, App Store and Huawei AppGallery shops. The InPost Mobile app already has 5.7 million active users.
InPost can also be contacted using Google Assistant. The conversation starts by calling a bot called ChatBot Mat with the phrase "Talk to InPost". Customers can ask about, among other things, the status of their parcel, the nearest Parcel Machine®, as well as a new feature - the number to courier . The same Bot is also available on Messenger, with all its functionalities.
InPost has also introduced a service "Parcel in a Weekend" - due to the growing demand for the service. It allows deliveries to InPost machines also on Saturdays and Sundays - the cost of the service is PLN 4.99 gross. As part of 'Parcels at the weekend', parcels are delivered to customers at the weekend if the sending (i.e. transferring the parcel to a Paczkomat® or POP or placing an order for a courier to collect it), takes place by 1pm on Saturday.
The network of Paczkomat® devices (11,000 devices in Poland) more than doubles the scale of Poczta Polska's own outlets (4,600[2] ). . Paczkomat® InPost is also available in Poland at shops: Dino, Lidl, Kaufland, the Delikatesy Centrum chain of shops organised by the Eurocash Group, as well as in Auchan Shopping Centres . InPost has also signed a contract with the Auchan shop chain for the delivery of Refrigerators . The functionalities of the InPost fridge machines allow for the safe storage and collection of food, beverages and frozen food ordered online at Auchan Direct. According to a study by Kantar TNS, up to 40% of online shoppers want to collect their groceries in InPost machines.
In addition, InPost - responding to market demand - has launched a Parcel Machine® InDoor designed specifically for indoor installation. With the InDoor, property owners provide their residents and tenants with the most advantageous and popular shopping pick-up option. At the same time, they attract local residents to the location - thus generating additional profits for shops and service outlets.
According to a report by Gemius[3], parcel machines® are the most frequently chosen form of delivery - they have overtaken couriers. This type of delivery of goods is preferred by up to 61% of online shoppers. This represents an increase in the popularity of the service among internet users by as much as 9 percentage points compared to the results of the 2019 report. For the first time ever, Paczkomat® beat courier delivery in popularity, which is chosen by 55% of respondents - the first result of its kind in the world. In addition, as many as 68% of respondents declare that the possibility to pick up their purchases via InPost devices motivates them to buy from a specific online shop - a year-on-year increase of 7 percentage points.
As of 2019, InPost is the leader in the leasing of warehouse space in Poland. In 2019, the company leased a total of 107,950 m² - 4% of the total net demand in the country[4] . InPost also led the KEP industry in terms of space delivered in 2019 - a total of 57,863 m² - ahead of DHL and Poczta Polska on the podium. The locations launched by InPost in 2019 position the company in the Top 3 most active e-commerce players in the warehouse logistics market - InPost is second only to Amazon and Zalando, the global e-commerce giants, in this respect.
InPost is also investing in green transport. The company has expanded its fleet of electric cars with 40 new Nissan e-NV200 XL Voltia and announces the purchase of more. The cars provide a range of up to 200km in the city, 8m³ of cargo space and a payload of 580kg.
InPost is systematically introducing new services - in 2020 it launched the specialised Paczkomat® Office 24, which it donated to the needs of offices The city's public offices are located in Toruń, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Gdynia, Kraków, Kalisz, Słubice, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poświętno, Izabelin, Nowy Targ, Wolsztyn, Chojnice, Pruszków, Brodnica, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Wołomin, Koszalin and Lubań, among others. They allow residents to deal with official matters without the need to enter a building and have direct contact with officials. Further installations of the machines at offices throughout Poland are planned - InPost is in talks with dozens more cities.
InPost has also introduced the InPost Fullfilment logistics service dedicated to business customers. The company provides infrastructure and know-how and supports customers at every stage of the warehousing process. As a logistics partner, InPost offers the highest quality of service and automation of the entire logistics process based on its own experience. Thanks to the InPost service Fulfillment e-commerce entrepreneurs can focus on growing their business and not worry about issues related to storage facilities, packaging of goods and shipping.
InPost is Poland's largest logistics operator, invested in by US investment funds Advent International and KKR. The company offers courier services and deliveries via the nationwide network of Paczkomat® InPost machines for individual and institutional customers, including comprehensive services dedicated to the e-commerce industry.
For more information visit: inpost.co.uk
