Correos to deploy parcel terminals to boost Spanish e-commerce

Spain’s national postal service Correos has launched a “revolutionary” new service using automated parcel locker terminals. The company said its new HomePaq service will see parcel terminals installed in local communities to allow consumers to send and receive parcels with more convenience.

Correos said the new service should particularly benefit e-commerce activity in Spain, allowing consumers to make purchases without having to be at home during the day to receive the goods.

E-commerce consumers will be able to collect their purchases from their local HomePaq terminal 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The automated parcel terminals will offer a range of locker sizes to suit different parcels, and registered users will receive a barcode they can access through their mobile phone or computer, to allow them to collect items from a locker.

The technology should also allow items to be returned to e-commerce merchants.

Deployment

Initially Correos will test 500 of the parcel terminal systems in the Madrid area to ensure the technology meets the needs of the service. The network will then be steadily expanded to more areas in Spain.

The Spanish postal service said parcel terminals can be requested by communities, and that it will install the machines in locations that meet the requirements of the service.

Javier Cuesta Nuin, the Correos Group president, said the aim was to provide solutions making a “substantial” improvement to the everyday lives of customers by providing the maximum convenience for parcel delivery.

“We are confident that with HomePaq we will help boost e-commerce in our country, offering businesses a tool on the web not only for distribution but also marketing and improving the customer experience,” he explained.

“Correos will therefore become a major player in the e-commerce market, by promoting the business associated with home delivery services.”