InPost – the network of parcel lockers has exceeded 13,000

InPost – the Paczkomaty® network has exceeded 13,000

The first Paczkomat® powered by truly green energy

InPost – Europe’s leading e-commerce delivery platform – has expanded its Paczkomaty® network, which now exceeds 13,000 locations. The 13,000th machine was launched in Sopot and is autonomous – it features photovoltaic panels and is powered by solar energy. This state-of-the-art unit will be installed in towns and cities as part of the ‘Green City’ programme – which has already been joined by Łódź, Kraków, Kielce, Wałbrzych and Zielona Góra, and by the end of the year the programme will cover several dozen towns and cities across Poland. InPost is the first company in Poland to launch Paczkomaty® powered by genuinely green energy.

– Interest in e-commerce parcel deliveries is growing by leaps and bounds, faster than any forecasts. The same goes for consumer expectations in this area – they want to collect parcels conveniently, close by and at any time. They do not want to feel restricted and do not want to wait long for their purchases. Such exacting criteria can only be met by an operator with a sufficiently extensive and well-organised network of collection points and excellent logistics. A dense network means more than just a few thousand collection points in a country the size of Poland, France or Spain. InPost aims to be the first logistics operator in Europe to achieve this goal across several markets simultaneously. We are launching a new Paczkomat® factory and are committed to the large-scale roll-out of our machines across Europe. Poland – compared to most countries that have only just discovered the unique experience of collecting parcels from Paczkomat® parcel lockers – is a mature, advanced market generating the highest turnover. But I am convinced that other countries where we are expanding the InPost network will reach a similar level in the foreseeable future. We are now embarking on another revolution by being the first in Poland to install fully autonomous machines fitted with photovoltaic panels. – emphasises Rafał Brzoska, CEO of InPost.

InPost is implementing the ‘Green City’ programme, under which it has established partnerships with, amongst others, the cities of Łódź and Kraków. The programme supports the development of Polish cities in line with the ‘smart city’ concept – by offering residents modern services, developing an optimal and environmentally friendly network of Paczkomaty® parcel lockers, and taking action to improve air quality and protect the climate. The “Green City” programme is part of InPost’s long-term strategy, which encompasses a wide range of innovations and environmental initiatives. The “Green City” programme also envisages the development of a range of modern services for residents, such as electric chargers at InPost Paczkomaty®, the development of environmentally friendly transport, and the planting of air-purifying vegetation. In addition, InPost intends to gradually replace its delivery fleet with electric vehicles, starting with its partner cities.

InPost Parcel Lockers® are the most environmentally friendly way to shop online. According to InPost’s analysis, having a parcel delivered to a parcel locker reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 75 per cent compared to delivery directly to the customer’s home. In 2020 alone, deliveries to InPost Paczkomaty® reduced CO2 emissions by over 180,000 tonnes. The continued development and optimisation of the InPost Paczkomaty® network will help to reduce car traffic in towns and cities, which will in turn improve air quality and protect the climate.

InPost now has nearly 7 million active app users InPost Mobile. Thanks to the app, several people can collect parcels from a single Paczkomat® at the same time, without having to queue or touch the screen – the lockers are opened using a smartphone. The revolutionary service for posting parcels via the app is also breaking popularity records – parcels are posted at InPost Paczkomat® parcel lockers and sent to another Paczkomat® or to a specified home address. There’s no need to stick any labels on the parcel – all you need is the electronically generated QR code or the dispatch code from the app. For the past year, the InPost app has been among the most downloaded and used apps in Poland on the GP and App Store. Via the InPost Mobile app, you can pay for your parcel using a BLIK code, a payment card or a quick bank transfer (DotPay), with Apple Pay and Google Pay coming soon. You can, of course, track the status of your dispatched parcel in the app, but also on the website inpost.pl in the ‘Track your parcel’ section and via the chatbot, by entering the 24-digit parcel number or your telephone number and the last 4 digits of the parcel number. The InPost Mobile app can be downloaded from Google Play, the App Store and the Huawei AppGallery.

You can 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 number for courier. The same bot is also available on Messenger, with all its features.

In April 2021, InPost, in partnership with IdoSell, launched the groundbreaking Smile service. Thanks to this, consumers who shop at selected online stores will receive free delivery to a Paczkomat® for orders worth over 40 zł.

InPost has also entered into a long-term partnership with Echo Investment. Under the terms of the agreement, Paczkomaty® parcel lockers will be installed at the developer’s residential and mixed-use developments, enabling both residents and other users to conveniently collect and post parcels. The first unit has already been installed at the Moje Miejsce development in Warsaw. Further Paczkomaty® units will be installed at the Bonarka Living estate in Kraków and the Enter estate in Poznań.

In light of the rapid expansion of the InPost Paczkomat® network in Poland and across Europe, InPost is building a new Paczkomat® factory and will expand its research and development centre. The factory will be built as part of the newly established City Logistics Kraków Airport business park, will cover a total area of 7,230 m² and will be fitted with solar panels. It is due to open as early as June 2021. The new facility will be built right next to the Balice II junction on the A4 motorway. This will enable InPost to improve the efficiency of its production processes whilst ensuring a convenient workplace location for its staff and creating new jobs. At City Logistics Kraków Airport – in addition to the production of Paczkomaty®, including the electrical assembly of modules with touchscreens – a research and development centre will be expanded to include two laboratories and a showroom. Development work and testing of new solutions will be carried out there.

The carbon footprint calculator shows that if traditional home deliveries by courier were replaced by deliveries to a Paczkomat®, CO₂ emissions would be reduced by as much as 75 per cent[1]. Delivering a parcel to an InPost machine results in at least 0.35 kg less CO₂ being emitted into the atmosphere for each parcel. This makes InPost the most environmentally neutral logistics provider.

InPost also offers a service “Weekend Parcel” – due to the growing demand for parcel locker services. This service enables deliveries to Paczkomaty® on Saturdays and Sundays as well – the cost of the service is 4.99 zł (including VAT). Under the ‘Weekend Parcel’ service, parcels are delivered to customers at the weekend provided that the dispatch (i.e. dropping off the parcel at a Paczkomat® or POP, or placing an order for collection by a courier) takes place by 1.00 pm on Saturday.

Number of parcel lockers® (over 13,000 outlets in Poland) was more than double the number of Poczta Polska’s own branches (4,600[2]). InPost Parcel Lockers® are also available in Poland at shops: Dino, Lidl, Kaufland, the Delikatesy Centrum chain of shops operated by the Eurocash Group, and also in Auchan shopping centres. InPost has also signed an agreement with the Auchan retail chain for deliveries to Ice cream vending machines. The features of InPost’s refrigerated lockers enable the safe storage and collection of food, drinks and frozen goods ordered online via Auchan Direct. According to research by Kantar TNS, as many as 40 per cent of online shoppers want to collect their grocery purchases from InPost Paczkomaty®.

Furthermore, InPost – in response to market demand – has launched InDoor Parcel Lockers®, designed specifically for installation inside buildings. Thanks to Paczkomaty® InDoor, property owners provide their residents and tenants with the most convenient and popular option for collecting their purchases. At the same time, they attract local residents to the location – which helps generate additional revenue for shops and service outlets.

According to a report by Gemius[3] Paczkomaty® are the most popular delivery method – they have overtaken couriers. As many as 61 per cent of online shoppers prefer this type of delivery. This represents a rise in the service’s popularity amongst internet users of as much as 9 percentage points compared with the findings of the 2019 report. For the first time ever, Paczkomaty® have overtaken courier deliveries in popularity, with 55 per cent of respondents choosing them – this is the first result of its kind in the world. Furthermore, as many as 68 per cent of respondents state that the option to collect their purchases via InPost parcel lockers motivates them to shop at a particular online store – this represents a year-on-year increase of 7 percentage points.

Since 2019, InPost has been the market leader in warehouse space lettings in Poland. In 2019, the company let a total of 107,950 m² – accounting for 4 per cent of total net demand in the country[4]. InPost was also the leader in the CEP sector in terms of floor space brought into use in 2019 – a total of 57,863 m² – thereby finishing ahead of DHL and Poczta Polska on the podium. The sites launched by InPost in 2019 position the company amongst the top three most active e-commerce players in the warehouse logistics market – in this respect, InPost is second only to Amazon and Zalando, the global e-commerce giants.

InPost is also investing in eco-friendly transport. The company has expanded its fleet of electric vehicles with 40 new Nissan e-NV200 XL Voltia models and has announced plans to purchase more. The vehicles offer a range of up to 200 km in urban areas, 8m³ of load space and a payload capacity of 580 kg.

InPost is systematically introducing new services – in 2020, it launched specialised Paczkomaty® Urząd 24 parcel lockers, which it provided to local authorities, including Toruń, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Gdynia, Kraków, Kalisz, Słubice, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poświętne, Izabelin, Nowy Targ, Wolsztyn, Chojnice, Pruszków, Brodnica, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Wołomin, Koszalin and Lubań. These allow residents to carry out administrative tasks without having to enter a building or have direct contact with officials. Further installations of these machines at local authority offices across Poland are planned – InPost is in talks with several dozen more towns and cities.

InPost S.A. (“InPost”) is a leading e-commerce delivery platform. Founded in 1999 by Rafał Brzoska in Poland, InPost operates a network of Paczkomaty® in Poland, the UK and Italy, and also provides courier and fulfilment services for e-commerce retailers in Poland. In 2020, InPost handled 249 million parcels via Paczkomaty®, working with over 26,000 e-retailers. Strategically positioned within the rapidly growing e-commerce ecosystem, it capitalises on favourable market trends – enabling the rapid roll-out of new machines. InPost’s Paczkomaty® provide consumers with a cheaper, flexible, convenient, environmentally friendly and contactless delivery option. As a result, InPost provides the most environmentally friendly delivery solution for e-commerce – delivery to Paczkomaty® reduces CO₂ emissions by two-thirds compared with courier deliveries in urban areas and by as much as 90 per cent in rural areas. Furthermore, it helps to reduce traffic congestion and provides a more convenient solution for delivering parcels to consumers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without the need to wait at home for a delivery. Highly efficient IT infrastructure and the rapid implementation of new technologies form the basis of InPost’s operations and development. The InPost mobile app, ‘InPost Mobile’, is one of the most popular apps in Poland, with nearly 7 million active users. In January 2021, InPost successfully made its stock market debut on EURONEXT Amsterdam.

In 2021, InPost finalised the acquisition of Mondial Relay, a leading French company specialising in ‘out-of-home’ parcel delivery. As a result, InPost became Europe’s largest e-commerce delivery platform. InPost and Mondial Relay together delivered over 440 million parcels in 2020, supported by a network of around 28,000 locations at APM and PUDO points, including around 15,800 collection and drop-off points (“PUDO”) in France, the Benelux countries and the Iberian Peninsula, as well as a network of 24 hubs and 4 distribution centres.

For more information, visit: inpost.pl