Online retailing giant Amazon and Royal Mail have signed a deal whereby items are delivered to post offices and picked up by customers. Last week, Royal Mail had commented on how Amazon was undermining its delivery business outlook when it posted a 21% decline in half-year profits.
The new agreement means Amazon customers can pick up their parcels at 10,500 post office branches, thus giving Royal Mail the opportunity to recover some of its lost business.
Since its privatization, Royal Mail has lost market share to private delivery companies. Royal Mail announced last week that it was cutting its UK parcels growth guidance by half, as a result of Amazon’s new delivery focus.
Including post offices across the country, newsagents and convenience stores, plus lockers at train stations, Amazon can now boast more than 16,000 pick-up points in the UK.
Amazon customers can now choose their preferred pickup point online during the checkout process. When arriving at, for example a post office, they need to show ID to receive their package.
Mr. North said that adding post offices to the list of possible pickup points will provide customers with the highest levels of convenience.
Customers opting for a post office pickup point will have to pay a First Class delivery charge.
Amazon UK’s Managing Director Christopher North said the agreement will make the ordering and collection process of a parcel more convenient.
Mr. North said:
“Pick-up Locations have become the delivery method of choice for many shoppers. Offering the collection of packages from Post Offices is another great way of providing our customers with the highest levels of convenience.”
Some of the smaller post offices do not open on Saturday, making the convenient stores and newsagents a more flexible option for some customers.
Amazon says it expects record Black Friday sales this week and is offering deals right up to Christmas rather than just on Friday.