WHSmith is the first retailer set to launch a network of lockers across its UK stores in collaboration with In-Post.
Shoppers will be able to collect, return and send parcels during their visit to the stationery provider.
In addition to customer convenience, it is hoped that this innovation will increase footfall across the retailer’s highstreet stores. According to InPost, 86% of InPost users make a purchase when visiting lockers instore.
Ian Sanders, group commercial development director at WHSmith, says: “InPost Lockers will help us offer our customers a convenient and accessible way to pick up, send and return their parcels as part of their daily routines when they come to our high street locations.”
Gavin Brice, locations director at InPost UK, adds: “We are rapidly growing our network of 3,500+ parcel lockers in the UK, and our partnership with WHSmith marks another milestone for our business. At InPost, we know that people are constantly looking for convenient and hassle-free services that fit around their busy lives and save them time. By joining forces with WHSmith, we are providing shoppers across the country with unparalleled convenience when it comes to collecting and returning their online orders or sending parcels. By taking vans off the roads, our lockers can also reduce emissions in local areas, helping to create greener communities.”
A few months prior to the announcement, WHSmith partnered with Deliveroo to trial fast delivery of work-from-home essentials. Customers choose from a variety of 600 products and have them delivered same-day or via click-and-collect.
WHSmith is a Top350 retailer in RXUK Top500 research.
Doddle launches self-service kiosks to enable returns in less than a minute
Doddle have recently brought out a range of self-service kiosks designed to help simplify the returns process. It says the technology offers automated package-less, label-free self-service returns in less than a minute.
Upon selecting start on the touchscreen, customers will be asked to scan the return QR code and place their return into the packaging provided. They then take the label printed by the kiosk, apply it to the item and place it in the drop box.
According to Doddle, this process not only reduces carbon footprint but also allows retailers to better understand their customers’ behaviour and reasons for returning an item.
Tim Robinson, chief executive officer at Doddle, says: “Our research shows that 94% of retailers see making returns better as a priority for their business. However, most merchants won’t have the ability to develop their own returns solutions in-house. That’s where carriers can come in. By solving this problem for merchants, they can deepen their relationships, win additional new business thanks to a more complete ecommerce proposition, and enable their merchant customers to succeed in ecommerce, driving long-term parcel volume increases. The introduction of our kiosks forms part of our solution, enabling carriers to offer additional services that are convenient, sustainable and cost effective.”
