DHL hails household parcel boxes “greatest development” since mailbox

Deutsche Post DHL is now offering German households the chance to have their own individual parcel boxes installed, to receive parcels when they are out. The German national postal operator has described it as the “greatest development” in the mail industry since the humble mailbox came along.

The company said residential customers anywhere in Germany can now rent its DHL Paketkasten for as little as EUR 1.99 per month, or buy one outright for EUR 99 and upwards.

Deutsche Post hopes the new delivery option will help it in the highly competitive German parcel industry.

It will mean e-commerce consumers do not have to collect their parcels from a local parcel shop or public parcel terminal, or from their neighbours.

Deutsche Post said it is targeting the new lockable container at owners of single- or two-family homes who can install them on their property, although apartment owners can also get them if they have space in which to install a box.

“Benchmark”

Jürgen Gerdes, the Deutsche Post DHL board member for parcels and e-commerce, said the new option set a “clear benchmark” in the area of customer service within the parcel industry.

He said: “The Paketkasten is the greatest development for our industry since the mailbox. With the Paketkasten, our customers can receive parcels at home, just as easily and routinely as they do their regular mail.”

The new development is part of Deutsche Post’s bid to hold the densest network for parcel delivery in Germany. The company already has more than 10,000 DHL Paketshop parcel shops, 2,650 “Packstation” parcel terminals and 1,000 Paketboxes.

Deutsche Post said it factored customer feedback into the trials of its Paketkasten, considering various sizes, colours and mounting methods.

The company said it was offering the rental option for customers who did not want to buy a Paketkasten right away.