SingPost’s launches locker rental service for parcel delivery and collection

SINGAPORE — Collecting items bought online may just be a tad more convenient now with the launch of new locker rental service.

The service, offered by SingPost, allows anyone to rent lockers from any of the existing 140 POPStation kiosks around Singapore. This enables the delivery and pick-up of items round the clock, and does away, for instance, with the time restrictions of courier delivery.

In particular, SingPost hopes to make it easier for small and medium businesses to deliver products to individual buyers.

For instance, sellers can choose the location of the kiosks, the size of the locker and the duration of rental. Once the seller and buyer agree on a POPStation kiosk, the seller can rent the locker and drop off the product. The buyer is provided with one-time use QR code and pin via email and SMS, and has to collect the item within the rental period.

Lockers are rented out for a minimum of two days, with the starting price of S$4.90 for a small locker for two days. Up to five lockers can be rented per transaction and locker size can be upgraded at the POPStation kiosk if it is too small.

The service, called Rent-a-POP, was under trial for one month starting last June with online marketplaces and blogshops.

SingPost said about 50 per cent of parcels delivered during the trial were outside of office hours, and there was a 100 per cent collection rate, with almost 90 per cent of the parcels collected the next day.

One of the trial participants was Airfrov, a local start-up that brings in overseas-exclusive and requested products through travellers for buyers. Its co-founder Cai Li cited convenience in depositing the packages. He said: “Another benefit is there is no need for additional packaging or waybills to be printed, hence reducing the workload.”

Ms Lim Ann Nee, Senior Vice President, SP Parcels, SingPost said: “SingPost is the first in Singapore to offer an islandwide open parcel locker service. Since the inception of POPStation, we have seen how smart lockers have given retailers and consumers parcel delivery flexibility that caters to today’s busy lifestyles.”

She added: “We optimise our resources as parcels can be delivered by retailers and consumers to a rented POPStation at their convenience. Recipients can collect their parcels easily near their homes or offices.”

POPStation lockers were launched by SingPost in 2013 and started with a pilot at five locations. A POPStation application was launched in 2014 to allow users to track the status of parcels, receive alerts, locate nearby POPStation kiosks and unlock lockers with a swipe on the phone.