InPost is bringing forward the launch of weekend deliveries to its parcel lockers

New service available from Thursday 12 March at 8.00 pm

InPost – Poland’s leading provider of modern logistics – is responding to the growing demand for services based on the Paczkomat network of parcel lockers®, is accelerating the launch of its new ‘Weekend Parcel’ service in response to the pandemic, enabling deliveries to the machines on Saturdays and Sundays as well, on a similar basis to any other day of the week. Due to the coronavirus, from 12 March and for the next three weekends (until 29 March), customers who need to send or receive a parcel urgently will be able to use the weekend service at no extra charge – the standard cost of the service is 4.99 zł gross.

“We had originally planned to launch this service during the long May bank holiday weekend, but due to the huge demand we have seen in recent days, we are bringing forward the introduction of weekend deliveries to Thursday 12 March. Furthermore, during the period when the highest number of cases is expected, sending parcels for weekend collection will be exempt from the additional charge, as we realise that during the actual lockdown period, which we are gradually entering, logistics services will be one of the most important channels for supplying consumers with essential goods. We also encourage online retailers to offer weekend deliveries through their shops, as this is precisely what customers expect – especially during times of crisis such as the one we are currently facing. Previously, Shoppers at online stores have increasingly been telling us that they want us to introduce an instant delivery service” – he said Wojciech Kądziołka, press officer at InPost.

Under the ‘Weekend Parcel’ service, parcels will be delivered to customers at the weekend if they are posted (i.e. dropped off at a parcel locker or POP point, or a collection request is placed via courier), will take place on Saturday by 1.00 pm.

InPost’s recommendations during the coronavirus pandemic:

• if you have the choice between delivery by an InPost courier and collection from an InPost Paczkomat® parcel locker – choose the Paczkomat® – as this helps to minimise contact with other people

• When collecting a parcel from the parcel locker, do not touch the control panel – open the locker remotely using the free InPost app on your smartphone (the app is available to download from the App Store and Google Play)

• For deliveries to homes, we advise couriers and recipients to maintain an appropriate distance and to hand over parcels at the door or outside the property, in order to minimise the duration of direct contact

• In accordance with the guidelines issued by health authorities, we recommend avoiding direct contact, such as shaking hands when greeting one another, or passing mobile computers, pens, etc. whilst signing documents.

The company’s internal research shows that as many as 60% of respondents who use courier delivery expressed a desire to use the weekend delivery option to an InPost Paczkomat®[1].

“Our new service covers all 6,000 machines in Poland, not just those located in the largest cities – we ensure that every one of our customers, regardless of where they live, has access to the exceptional convenience of collecting and posting parcels offered by Paczkomat®. The operations of our warehouses and sorting centres have been organised to ensure parcels are delivered across the country on an ongoing basis” – indicates Wojciech Kądziołka.

An urgent parcel can be posted to the specified machine directly via an InPost Paczkomat® parcel locker, via an InPost courier, or at a Parcel Collection Point, provided it is open on Saturdays. Any online shop can choose to offer this service to its customers – as many as 82% of e-commerce representatives surveyed expressed a desire to introduce the weekend delivery option to the InPost Paczkomat® in their shops[2].

The ‘Weekend Parcel’ service will be available to all business and retail customers. For customers generating labels in Parcel Manager, via the v2 API and ShipiX, the “Weekend Parcel” option will be available from Thursday at 8.00 pm until Saturday at 1.00 pm. For offline customers (those not generating labels via the API), an additional ‘Weekend Parcel’ column will appear, where you can specify whether the parcel being posted has this additional service selected.

Demand for InPost’s services is growing steadily – the number of machines (over 6,000 in Poland) has now exceeded the number of Poczta Polska’s own branches (4,600[3]).

As many as 63% of online shoppers say they most often use the services offered by InPost[4] – this is the highest figure among all logistics companies operating in Poland.

InPost has also launched an innovative solution that allows users to manage their InPost Paczkomat® parcel locker and their locker compartment via the app[5] . For the past few months, it has been possible for several people to collect parcels from a single machine at the same time. GO MOBILE! Strategy This is the next step in the logistics sector’s shift towards mobility. InPost will also soon make it possible to post parcels using a smartphone app. You can now also contact InPost via Google Assistant. The conversation begins by calling up a bot called ChatBot Mat with the phrase “Talk to InPost”. Customers can ask, amongst other things, about the status of their parcel, the nearest Paczkomat®, and – a new feature – the courier’s contact number. The same bot is also available on Messenger, with all its features.

By 2020, InPost will have 11 logistics centres: four Panattoni Europe sites: the existing, expanded central sorting centre at the P3 Piotrków warehouse park; two sorting centres at the new logistics parks – 7R Park Sosnowiec and 7R Park Warsaw, as well as modern facilities in the MLP Poznań West, MLP Gliwice and MLP Wrocław West logistics parks, and KJF Park Balice.

InPost took first place in the ‘Supplier of the Year’ category in Ceneo.pl’s 2019 Trusted Shops ranking, ahead of DPD and DHL. Furthermore, in the 2018 NPS (Net Promoter Score) survey conducted by the online service Furgonetka.pl in the courier services sector, InPost’s devices took first place, whilst the company’s courier services came third.

In October 2019, the company launched a new service called ‘Quick Post’ – with no registration, no login and no queues. Since October, InPost’s retail customers have also been benefiting from a new, lower price list for parcels of various sizes – offering reductions of up to 20 per cent, down to 11.99 zł gross.

A high rate of usage of InPost Paczkomat® parcel lockers is recorded not only in large (81%) and medium-sized (77%) towns, but also amongst residents of rural areas (71%) and smaller towns (74%). Similarly, a high proportion of respondents can be found across all age groups – including those aged 50 and over (as many as 65 per cent) and those aged 60 and over (58 per cent).

InPost is committed to environmental sustainability and cleans the equipment using steam, without any chemicals. The campaign is being carried out across Poland by specialist teams in electric vehicles, using as little water as possible. Eco-friendly cleaning products are used to remove graffiti.

InPost has also launched its InPost Fulfilment logistics service, designed for business customers. The company provides infrastructure and expertise, and supports customers at every stage of their warehousing processes. As a logistics partner, InPost offers the highest quality of service and automation of the entire logistics process, drawing on its own experience. Thanks to the InPost service Fulfillment E-commerce entrepreneurs can focus on growing their own business without having to worry about issues relating to warehouse facilities, packaging and dispatch.

Furthermore, under the terms of the cooperation agreement, InPost has begun installing equipment at shops Dino, Lidl and Kaufland across Poland, as well as at Auchan shopping centres. According to a report by Furgonetka.pl, the InPost Parcel Locker® is also the most commonly offered delivery option for online purchases. As many as 74% of large shops and 44% of small and medium-sized shops offer delivery via InPost’s Paczkomat®. The average delivery cost via these platforms is 10 zlotys for smaller online shops and 9 zlotys for larger ones.

According to the Gemius report *E-commerce in Poland in 2019*:

• As many as 52% of online shoppers say that Paczkomat® is their most frequently chosen delivery method. This represents a 4 percentage point increase in the service’s popularity among online shoppers compared with the findings of the 2018 report

• InPost’s courier services have grown in popularity – they recorded a 5 percentage point increase in market share compared with 2018 and retained third place amongst the most popular courier companies in Poland. They outperformed, amongst others, Pocztex (Poczta Polska) and global giants such as GLS, UPS and FedEx

Furthermore, as many as 61% of respondents say that the InPost service is what most encourages them to shop online – this represents a year-on-year increase of 6 percentage points.

InPost has one of the highest NPS customer satisfaction scores (January 2019, survey sent to customers after the service has been provided):

• InPost Courier: 70.81 /N=4512/
• InPost Parcel Locker®: 81.5 /N=13,278/

InPost is Poland’s largest logistics operator, in which the US investment funds Advent International and KKR have invested. The company offers courier services and deliveries via its nationwide network of Paczkomat® InPost parcel lockers for both private and corporate customers, including comprehensive services tailored to the e-commerce sector.

For more information, visit: inpost.pl