- Nationwide home delivery service from Home Delivery Network and PayPoint puts community retailers at the heart of the online world
(LONDON - 28 May 2009) Home Delivery Network Limited and PayPoint today announce the launch of their innovative home delivery solution: Collect+.
Collect+ combines the UK’s leading payment network with the UK’s largest home delivery and collection service to create a revolutionary delivery solution that will give local retailers additional revenue opportunities and help drive growth in e-commerce.
By opting to have their purchases delivered by Collect+, internet shoppers concerned about the delivery and security of their online purchases can now designate a convenient, community store to where the goods can be delivered. The consumer can then collect the parcel whenever they choose as PayPoint stores typically have long trading hours and tend to be open every day of the week.
Collect+ puts the PayPoint community store network at the heart of the e-commerce industry, creating new retailing opportunities by bringing new and different types of consumer into neighbourhood stores. Over 1,200 PayPoint retailers are already offering Collect+ and the network will grow to more than 4,000 by the end of 2009. By providing this additional service to its agents, PayPoint is once again demonstrating its innovation leadership in the convenience store services environment.
For the first time, online retailers are able to offer a delivery choice that is as simple and convenient as the online transaction itself. Collect+ gives online retailers a secure and guaranteed delivery solution at an affordable and transparent cost. It gives the e-tailer and purchaser peace of mind as SMS messages are sent to confirm that the goods have been sent and that they have arrived at the designated community store and are ready for collection.
Failed first deliveries are a big cost for the e-commerce industry. IMRG predicts that 820 million parcels will be delivered in 2009, with more than 10% of them failing to reach the customer on the first attempt. This leads to lower customer satisfaction and higher commercial risk.
Collect+ is already being used by a number of leading catalogue and e-tail brands, including Littlewoods, Kays, Choice, Additions, Great Universal, Marshall Wards and Empire Stores.
In addition, a number of online marketplaces have introduced strict rules governing costs of postage & packaging alongside greater consumer protection over failed deliveries and returns. In both cases, Connect+ presents a viable solution by providing a fixed cost for p&p, guarantees both posting and receipt and creates total transparency in the transaction.
Later this summer, Collect+ will extend to a complete consumer to consumer service that will allow parcels to be sent from one individual to another via the PayPoint network. For example, a shopper could send a Christmas present at 10pm from their neighbourhood store for their aunt to pick up a few days later at 7.30am on her way to work.
Walter Blackwood, managing director of Collect+, said:
“Collect+ is a truly exceptional service that is only possible by bringing together PayPoint’s network of local community retailers and the delivery expertise of Home Delivery Network Limited. This combination delivers a powerful proposition that will appeal to consumers tired of the worry and inconvenience of home delivery, online retailers in need of cost effective and secure delivery options and neighbourhood store owners who want to offer more services to their local community.
“Collect+ delivers a world where parcels are delivered to a safe and secure environment and collected with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of convenience. When used in reverse, for returns, it’s just as easy and, crucially, very cost effective.
“With the complete consumer to consumer service arriving later this year, people – and small businesses – will never need to worry about waiting for a parcel or going to a sorting office at an inconvenient time ever again.”
-ends-
For further information, please contact:
Tom Nutt
The Communication Group plc
020 7630 1411/07775 686 706
tnutt@thecommunicationgroup.co.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
About PayPoint
The PayPoint retail network numbers over 21,500 terminals located in local shops (including Co-op, Spar, Costcutter, Sainsbury’s Local, One Stop, Londis, Somerfield and thousands of independents) in all parts of the UK. Terminals handle gas and electricity meter prepayments, cash bill payments, mobile phone top-ups, transport tickets, BBC TV licences and a wide variety of other payment types for all of the leading utilities, telecommunications suppliers and many consumer service companies. This network is used by consumers, free of charge, over 9 million times a week. The network has 98.9% population cover on a 1 mile urban or 5 miles rural measure.
About Home Delivery Network
Home Delivery Network Limited (HDNL) is the UK’s largest home delivery and collection service. HDNL delivers to all 1,760,000 UK postcodes in 120 postal regions. HDNL operates 59 parcel depots covering the UK, four specialised operations sites which distribute heavy and large items throughout the UK, two national sort centres at Shaw in Oldham and Droitwich in Worcestershire, and has its head office located in Whiston, Merseyside.
