Royal Mail: customers don’t need to go out of their way to drop off their parcel
Royal Mail customers can now use one of the 115,000 postboxes in the UK to drop off smaller parcels and packets and still receive a proof of posting receipt, using the Royal Mail app.
The process takes a couple of clicks and takes advantage of GPS and the customer’s phone’s location services to make getting a proof of posting as simple as possible.
This new service enhancement has been launched as more and more customers are sending smaller parcels and packets due to the soaring popularity of selling clothes on second-hand fashion marketplaces.
A large proportion of parcels sent by Royal Mail customers fit in a postbox, making it a convenient option for those who have paid for postage online and printed a label, or who have a preprinted return label. Royal Mail offers trusted services, including fully tracked options with next-day delivery. Prices start from as little as £1.55 online for a Second Class large letter or small parcel that fits through the letterbox.
To use the service customers simply need to open the Royal Mail app, select ‘proof of posting’ and the postbox they are at will appear. They then scan their barcoded label, select ‘post now’ and the customers will receive their proof of posting confirmation message.
Nick Landon, Chief Commercial Officer at Royal Mail, said: “It is really important for customers to be able to prove when and where they posted their items, as well as having convenient drop off locations. This new service ticks both of these boxes.
“We are seeing more and more customers using second hand marketplaces to sell clothing and these items are likely to fit in a postbox. With the convenience of a UK-wide network of 115,000 postboxes located within half a mile of 98 per cent of addresses, customers don’t need to go out of their way to drop off their parcel.”
Royal Mail is rapidly expanding its number of parcel points to meet growing demand as people send and receive more parcels. In December, the company announced it was launching its own locker network, in addition to giving customers access to around 1,200 lockers and 6,500 Collect+ points at convenience stores in the last year.
This is in addition to 1,200 customer service points, 1,200 dedicated parcel postboxes and access to the Post Office’s 11,500 branches.
