Pelipod delivers progress report on parcel box system
Pelipod, the Bristol-based company which has developed a smart parcel delivery box system, has reported that it has now extended its network of live boxes to locations in the UK, Europe and North America. As previously reported, the Pelipod boxes use machine-to-machine (M2M) communications to transmit secure codes that both the parcel delivery company and the customer use to gain access, thereby allowing for both deliveries and returns.
Speaking to Post&Parcel today (19 August), CEO Karl Wills said that the number of up-and-running boxes is now “in the low hundreds” – and this includes paying customers and users participating in ongoing trials.
“We have about half a dozen carriers participating in trials,” added Wills, “as well as two 3PLs, and other companies.”
In terms of the types of premises at which Pelipod is looking to install the boxes, the company sees the B2B sector as particularly promising. Pelipod has, for example, installed multi-user boxes in office blocks which can be shared by the various companies using the premises (and the box’s security system can keep track of who has accessed the box). Closed business-to-business networks – which could, for example, involve a sales company which regularly needs to send products/samples to the homes of its field salesforce – are also seen as potential Pelipod users.
Although Pelipod has been focusing mainly on the UK market, it also has two Canadian companies using the boxes and it has trials running in Latvia and Estonia.
“We are also talking to people in Denmark. Germany and Australia,” added Wills.
While the roll-out of the physical network continues, Wills reported that Pelipod has also seen a growing take-up in the use of its mobile app, which the company has developed with Ampersand Mobile.
“We have focused strongly on making the user experience as simple as possible,” said Wills. “And the app certainly helps to do that. After the user has signed in the first time, a Pelipod icon will appear on their phone – and they just need to click on that to generate the unique code for their delivery.”
