Parcelforce Worldwide are trialing a home shopping delivery alternative

B2C delivery could take a step into the future with new ‘failed delivery’ trials being run by Royal Mail, Parcelforce Worldwide and Nottingham City Council. If the trials are successful it could not only give the post and parcel operators the competitive edge in the UK market, but also the psychological lift the companies have been looking for.

In an innovative new venture, Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide are trialing services aimed at putting an end to the ongoing problems of failed delivery. The project, named ‘Not-In-Home’, is being run in conjunction with Nottingham City Council, and is likely to include over 40,000 residents in the area.

The project, which focuses on parcels or packets that are too large to fit the letterbox or that require a signature, is being trialed in the NG5 postcode area of Nottingham. Re-delivery options will include a Post Office branch, a locker bank, or a designated neighbor, with preferences being collated in a database system.

The residents are being encouraged to choose whichever method they will find most convenient, with locker-banks being set up at public sites in the area in the next few weeks, including a Sainsbury store. Locker banks will also be introduced to some of the area’s largest employers, giving employees the opportunity to sign up. When the package has been delivered to the locker-bank, the consignee will receive a text message or email to inform them of the delivery and the code to access the delivery.

This is an encouraging move by the UK operators, which have been criticized in the past for being antiquated and lacking in customer focus. It provides the companies with an excellent competitive positioning tool from which to secure further contracts with catalogue and Internet retailers, as well as major financial institutions. The move will also provide the flexibility that other UK companies currently lack.