Toll Group will partner with engineering design company TZ limited to trial a locker system for the collection of products acquired online
By Anna Game-Lopata | April 9, 2013
Toll Group will partner with engineering design company TZ limited to trial a locker system for the collection of products acquired by consumers online.
The system will involve the delivery of parcels by Toll Group’s existing consumer delivery business, which currently delivers parcels
purchsed
online to newsagents for collection.
TZ says it has been working on an online delivery infrastructure solution for some time to allow its participation in the “lucrative online logistics market” arising from the growth of online purchasing.
The deal with Toll is the latest of many initiatives and partnerships TZ has been developing over the last 12 months to establish sites, flow and revenue for the locker network.
Along with a mix of corporate, retail and business park sites the company is negotiating with business property
owner GPT Group, TZ recently announced agreements with
Victorian petrol station operator AA Holdings Pty Limited and Australian Fuel Distributors Pty Limited (AusFuel).
Collectively, these arrangements potentially provide TZ with access to over 130 petrol station and convenience store sites across Australia.
Planned for a May 2013 deployment, TZ’s Automated Delivery Asset Manager (ADAM) locker system for online retail parcel deliveries aims to allow consumers a secure, convenient system for collection.
It will operate in a similar way
to
systems utilised in public locker rooms at swimming pools or gymnasiums for example, where a securely delivered numeric code enables the locker to be opened at any time by the user.
When a package is delivered the recipient will receive an email with a QR code or unique pin code which will enable them to collect their parcel 24 hours a day.
Toll Group will trial the lockers as part of its specialised online B2C retail parcel delivery service, Toll Consumer Delivery.
Based on the success of the trial, Toll Consumer Delivery will look to add the ADAM Parcel Locker service to its existing collection network, which includes the Nparcel newsagency parcel collection service.
The newsagent service operated by Nparcel and Toll Consumer Delivery offers customers the convenience of picking up their parcels from their local newsagency has already helped deliver tens of thousands of parcels via the newsagency network since September last year.
“The ADAM parcel locker system has the potential to extend [this service], providing even more convenient, local and accessible pick up points for parcels delivered,” TZ says in its statement.
“TZ Limited has expert technical know-how on the design, engineering and operation of a B2C parcel locker network that includes a clear understanding of consumer needs, behaviours, and online parcel delivery options.”
Toll has been providing high-volume express services to individual consumers for nearly a decade, currently handling more than 500,000 business to consumer parcels each year.
This equates to around six per cent of the total online B2C market in Australia.
“Recognising the potential in the online B2C market in Australia, we have developed a new offering, Toll Consumer Delivery,” says
Toll Group spokesperson Christopher Whitefield.
“This service offers dedicated management and leading technology which leverages our extensive network and resources to provide ultimate flexibility to the consumer about when and where their purchases are delivered.
“We have invested accordingly and provide leading mobile technology focusing on SMS and email pre-delivery alerts, proof of delivery, time slotted deliveries, choice of delivery day including Saturdays, market leading reliability, and choice of pick-up locations including retail locations.
“To help extend our capabilities and to provide retailers with even more options, we have partnered with the Victorian Newsagents’ Association to take advantage of their extensive network by using them as alternate delivery points.”
Toll Group currently has more than 130 newsagents signed up in Melbourne.
“More than more than 16,000 parcels have been delivered through our network of Victorian newsagents since late last year – and we are currently growing this partnership with newsagents into a national offering.”
Whitefield adds the possible development of alternative delivery options such as smart lockers, will be critical to maintaining our high service levels at low cost, delivering excellent customer experience to an online purchaser.