From the middle of November this year, it will be possible to collect courier parcels sent via Poczta Polska at nearly 450 Żabka and Freshmarket stores in Warsaw and selected towns in the Masovian Voivodeship. This service will be gradually expanded to eventually be available in over 4,700 stores across Poland. Poczta Polska’s click & collect network will grow to over 11,000 collection points.
– The development strategy adopted by Poczta Polska this year assumes doubling revenue from the courier and parcel sector within five years. We forecast growth in our courier services at a level of 15–20 percent, compared to the 10-percent increases projected for the domestic market. Thanks to the cooperation with the leader of the convenience sector – the Żabka and Freshmarket store chains – we are gaining over 4,700 collection points on the market in locations attractive to customers, open from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM. This is a great convenience for our customers, especially since Żabka and Freshmarket stores are usually very well located, which will further speed up the parcel collection process – emphasizes Grzegorz Kurdziel, Member of the Management Board of Poczta Polska for Sales.
Poczta Polska has the largest click & collect network in Poland. Supplementing the existing network (PKN ORLEN stations, RUCH kiosks/newsagents, own branches) with Żabka and Freshmarket stores will mean that a customer shopping in any city across the country will reach one of over 11,000 collection points in just a few minutes. Importantly, it is the customer who decides where and at what time they want to collect the parcel, and the service itself is cheaper than home delivery.
Expanding the service in the Żabka and Freshmarket store network to include another operator is a response to current trends. 2016 was the first year in history in which the courier parcel segment achieved the largest share in the total value of the postal services market – according to the “Report on the state of the postal market in 2016” (UKE 2016). This is due, among other things, to the dynamic development of the e-commerce sector and strong competition from postal operators.
– Poles’ shopping preferences are changing. No one is surprised anymore by the possibility of paying bills in a store or topping up a phone. Our customers are busy and on the go, often unable to collect a parcel by 8:00 PM, and they expect solutions that will make their everyday lives easier. The possibility of collecting parcels handled by Poczta Polska in our networks is a huge convenience for our customers, fitting into the idea of the convenience store format – says Przemysław Tomaszewski, Director of Service Development at Żabka Polska. – Poczta Polska is one of the key operators on the Polish market, and we hope that thanks to the huge volume of parcels it handles, the joint service will quickly gain recognition on the market.
How does it work?
When making a purchase online and choosing the “Poczta Polska – Collection at a Point” delivery method, the customer receives the option to collect the parcel from a selected Żabka or Freshmarket store. Once the parcel reaches the store chosen by the buyer, they will receive an SMS notification with: the parcel number, as well as the address and collection code. The parcel can be collected during the opening hours of Żabka and Freshmarket stores – from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
Successes of Poczta Polska’s click & collect network to date
The latest data from Poczta Polska shows that the possibility of collecting a parcel at post offices enjoys the greatest interest from customers. However, the possibility of collecting a parcel at the Orlen gas station network, most of which are open 24/7, or at the RUCH kiosk/newsagent network, 98 percent of which are open on Saturdays and nearly 19 percent also on Sundays, is gaining increasing popularity.
The development of the “Collection at a POINT” service is a reaction to the dynamically developing e-commerce market. Fast and cheap delivery is an increasingly important factor in purchasing decisions made by e-customers. Especially today, in times when traditional shopping is being replaced by online shopping.
– We are keeping pace with the technological revolution, and e-commerce is one of the main directions of Poczta’s development – emphasizes Grzegorz Kurdziel, Member of the Management Board of Poczta Polska.