[This is a sponsored article with Sunway Popbox.]
Raise your hand if you’ve ever had to drive yourself to your nearest parcel sorting hub because your delivery guy couldn’t find your exact location, or you weren’t home to collect your parcel.
I know I have.
But, having to go out of your way to collect your deliveries can be rather bothersome, especially when ecommerce is supposed to make shopping an effortless experience.
That’s exactly what PopBox Asia (PopBox) aims to solve.
Founded in 2015 under the Indonesian conglomerate Salim Group, PopBox expanded its operations to Malaysia in 2016 after partnering with Sunway Group (Sunway).
Enhancing urban living with technology
Sunway’s partnership with PopBox is driven by a vision to enhance urban living through technology.
Recognising the rapid urbanisation and ecommerce growth in Malaysia, Sunway saw an opportunity to address the growing demand for efficient parcel delivery solutions.
The pandemic also underscored the importance of contactless delivery options, which made PopBox an essential service for customers seeking safe and hygienic parcel collection methods.
With an aim to give Malaysians an efficient and convenient solution for depositing and receiving online shopping packages, here’s how PopBox is changing the game with its smart locker service.
1. Its lockers are easily accessible to couriers and shoppers
As I mentioned earlier, many of us have had problems with delivery providers not being able to find our homes or missing us when we’re not home to collect parcels.
Since it’s the courier service’s job to ensure that parcels get safely delivered, they may often end up dropping parcels off at the nearest sorting hub for us to pick up.
PopBox solves this issue by offering over 280 easy-to-find public locations around Malaysia (at the time of writing) as alternative addresses, which are accessible 24/7.
Courier services would simply have to drop off your parcels inside the automated lockers, and your package will be safely stored in the lockers until you’re ready to collect it anytime.
To set up PopBox as your preferred delivery location, you can find the address of the nearest PopBox to you and use that instead of your home or office address during checkout on online shopping platforms.
Then, you can pick up your parcel at places like your office or residential building, university campus, a nearby mall, or a train station, making it easy to grab your package on your way home.
You’ll be notified that your delivery has been dropped off in the locker via the PopBox App, which is free to download on the App Store, Google Play Store, or Huawei App Gallery.
2. Keeping your parcels safe till you collect them
Thanks to parcel tracking numbers used in Malaysia, the problem of lost and stolen parcels is largely a thing of the past.
That said, sometimes you may be ordering higher-value items online, and you want more assurance that your parcels can be delivered safely, with no chance of them being stolen.
In that case, you wouldn’t want your parcel being left outside your doorstep for an extended period of time, or in the hands of someone else in your building.
PopBox can offer you better peace of mind, as its automated lockbox system would require a one-time password to be opened.
The steps to use the lockers are rather simple to navigate.
Once your courier has dropped off your parcel inside a dedicated PopBox locker, you’ll receive a notification through the PopBox App. You’ll also be given a dedicated parcel retrieval PIN and QR code to unlock your locker.
And if you can’t collect it on the same day as it was delivered, PopBox allows you to safely store the package inside your locker for up to 14 days.
It’s worth noting that while many PopBox locations are free to use, some may require a small fee to have your packages delivered and stored in them.
Streamlining last-mile deliveries
The Malaysian ecommerce user penetration rate is expected to grow from 31.4% in 2024 to 52.8% in 2029. This means that PopBox has a large opportunity to serve the ecommerce industry by streamlining the order fulfilment process.
At present, PopBox reported that it caters to 60,000 of its app users per month on average, indicating a strong interest and adoption of the automated locker platform amongst users.
“In terms of user engagement, we’re experiencing around 90,000 transactions per month, showcasing the active utilisation of our services,” said Mohd Afdhal Bin Mohd Nayan, Sunway Popbox’s Business Director.
He believes that these figures reflect a growing preference for the convenience and efficiency offered by PopBox’s automated locker solution.
To get started, simply input your nearest PopBox location while checking out from ecommerce platforms.
Featured Image Credit: DiscoverKL
