When you think German ingenuity, perhaps high-end automobiles or precision cameras come to mind. Might be time to add individual residential parcel box lockers to the list.
Don’t laugh. Deutsche Post DHL plans to roll out individual locked parcel boxes to interested German households, and if successful pilot tests in two cities are any indication, the idea could prove to be a lucrative hit.
Following successful trials in Ingolstadt and the greater Bonn area, the DHL Paketkasten, a parcel box for residential addresses, is now available for all interested customers in Germany – and can be bought or rented. For its Paketkasten, DHL Paket is primarily targeting owners of single- and two-family homes who can install them on their property. When these are in place, nothing else stands in the way of receiving and sending parcels virtually at one’s own door: Regardless of whether the customer is at home, they won’t miss the delivery of their parcels in the future.
The German postal operator is convinced residential parcel boxes are a key element in its strategy to secure more of the growing package business. Deutsche Post sees these home-based parcel delivery lockers as a more convenient option for e-commerce customers, who would otherwise probably have to trek to their local shop or parcel terminal to collect their parcels.
Deutsche Post isn’t claiming it’s the greatest development since sliced bread, just since the invention of the mailbox. Customers can choose among different designs, sizes, colors, and mounting methods. In addition to receiving parcels, they can also place outgoing packages in the box.
The parcel lockers are aimed at single-family and two-family homes or those apartment complexes with enough space and easy accessibility for delivery. At a rental price starting at 1.99 euros ($2.70) per month or outright purchase starting at 99 euros (about $135), it’s not clear how many customers will jump on the offering. But Deutsche Post thinks the convenience factor and improved customer experience will win over a number of residents.
Home parcel lockers are another way the German postal operator is trying to serve customers in a rapidly changing ecommerce market, where double-digit growth is expected to continue for the next 4 years. The U.S. Postal Service is also seizing the opportunities ecommerce provides, and its 20 percent growth in package revenue over the past few years is a testament to the promise of this market.
Do you think home-based parcel box lockers would work in the U.S.? Would you be willing to pay a small monthly rental fee or buy a box for a more secure home delivery of parcels? If yes, how much would you be willing to pay?