The Future of Postal Delivery

Digital advances have reduced the number of letters being sent by post and increased the volume of parcels arriving at our doorsteps. Insight by McKinsey* predicts that the two will be matched in volume by 2025. As delivery companies adapt and innovate to manage this shift to postal deliveries, do recipients need to replace letterboxes with a parcel drop box for home or business?

E-commerce Delivery and the Parcel Mailbox

Shopping online is convenient and fast. It offers the widest selection of choices, at competitive prices, so it’s little wonder that more businesses and individuals are adding goods to the virtual shopping cart. The challenge is that our postal services and letterboxes are set up for mail.

To manage the growing volume of parcels, a fresh approach is needed. Postal companies are exploring ways of innovating processes to improve the capacity and efficiency of parcel handling.

New Modes of Transport for Parcel Deliveries

The rapid rise of e-commerce delivery through 2020 and 2021 saw the rapid adoption of new modes of transport. From robots to e-cargo bikes, there are environmental advantages to these innovations.

Automated Parcel Deliveries

The development of autonomous robot deliveries has been advancing for years, with Milton Keynes being the first city to trial local parcel delivery without humans. These mini vehicles can be dispatched with individual orders for a quick turnaround.

Moving at a pedestrian walking pace and able to detect and manoeuvre around objects, the robots drive to the customer’s address. Their hold is mechanically locked for the duration of their journey, which is monitored with mobile technology.

By the end of January 2021, 1 million autonomous robot deliveries had been made in the UK. As the technology continues to evolve, there is potential for this to become a regular mode of parcel delivery.

The challenge is that the recipient has to be in at the time of delivery, as the robot is not designed to post the parcel into a secure mailbox!

Bike and e-Cargo Bike Deliveries

Pedal power proved an affordable way of serving local customers during the lockdown. As restrictions ease, the use of bikes for postal deliveries continues to grow; why is this?

In city centres, bikes and e-cargo bikes are quicker than vans and there isn’t such an issue about where to park when you reach the destination. Bikes are quieter, reduce the volume of traffic on the roads, lower air pollution and are exempt from most vehicle charges. In a country committed to net-zero by 2050, the fact that an e-cargo bike reduces carbon emissions by 90% (100% on a bike) is also a strong advantage.

The shift to this mode of transport is evident by the establishment of Brought by Bike. This directory lists UK businesses and trades that deliver by bike.

Whilst pedal power is a cost-effective mode of local parcel delivery, it isn’t viable for long-distance travel. However, many UK-wide couriers are now trialling bikes for last-mile delivery.

Lockable Post Boxes for Homes & Businesses

As our shopping habits change, it’s not just postal services that need to adapt. The standard letterbox is not designed for parcel delivery, so we need to make it easier to receive bigger packages.

A secure mailbox can be free-standing at your gate, outside your front door or at the main entrance to your building. Alternatively, you might opt for a wall post box, fixed to the property. Lockable post boxes have wider letter flaps and greater capacity. They are ideal for the small parcels that contain those e-commerce purchases.

Letterbox4you provides a wide selection of high-quality free-standing and wall-mounted parcel letterboxes for homes and businesses. They are an essential part of the future of parcel delivery.

Having your goods posted into a secure mailbox is safer than leaving parcels on the doorstep and it saves the inconvenience of having to collect packages. As 70-80% of B2B and B2C shoppers opt for delivery, not collection, at the checkout, this has to be an advantage.

* https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/the-next-normal/parcel-delivery