Nightline now handling €114m worth of e-commerce through Parcel Motel network
Irish parcel carrier Nightline has said it is now handling EUR 114m worth of e-commerce purchases through its nationwide network of self-service parcel locker terminals. The network, branded Parcel Motel, was launched in 2012 and now has more than 100,000 people registered to use the network of 100 terminals, which includes machines in all of the Republic’s 26 counties.
The Parcel Motel units allow consumers to collect their parcels around the clock, and is particularly useful for those not at home during the working day to receive a parcel delivery.
Orla Sheils, the Parcel Motel general manager, said the value of merchandise now flowing through the network demonstrated the importance of such alternative delivery methods — both for consumers and the e-commerce merchants selling to them.
It has also backed up the “extensive” research the company carried out before launching the network, which had suggested a “huge” potential appetite in Ireland for parcel lockers.
Growth
“Parcel volumes are continuing to rise, almost on a weekly basis, while the number of new registered users grows by the day,” she said.
“The frequency with which those individuals shop online and the amounts which they spend are also increasing, so it’s no surprise to find that the number of retailers both at home and abroad wanting to offer it as a delivery option at their online Checkouts is rising too.”
According to Nightline’s figures, the average amount spent online by subscribers stands at EUR 1,143.19. The biggest spenders in Ireland at the moment are shoppers in Limerick, who average EUR 1,342 in the amount of shopping they do through Parcel Motel.
The figures suggest male customers spend on average EUR 250 more than women.
Last month, Nightline revealed it is now beginning to help large corporations deal with the e-commerce packages their employees are having delivered to work, by placing Parcel Motel units on business premises.
Another aspect of the Parcel Motel network that can benefit consumers in the Republic of Ireland is that they can have items bought from UK e-commerce merchants delivered via the network’s parcel locker terminal in Belfast, thereby avoiding “hefty” surcharges that can be imposed by websites for shipping items direct to the Republic of Ireland. Once items have arrived in Belfast, they can be delivered to a consumer’s local Parcel Motel location for the cost of a domestic shipment.
