SINGAPORE - Those who shop online will be able to collect parcels from almost 350 7-Eleven stores islandwide by the end of the year, in what is believed to be the largest network of parcel collection points launched here.
E-commerce site Lazada, logistics provider Ninja Van and convenience store chain 7-Eleven announced this in a joint statement on Thursday (Oct 18).
Users of the service will not have to pay a delivery fee, but the parcel has to be below 5kg and its width, height and length combined has to be under 80cm.
The parcel collection service is currently available at 159 7-Eleven stores and will be rolled out to all the remaining participating stores by the end of this year. 7-Eleven has more than 380 stores islandwide.
Lazada customers can choose their preferred 7-Eleven outlet to collect their orders, from 6pm on Thursday.
Lazada also offers collection options at SingPost's POPStations, SPH Buzz Convenience Stores, and Parcel Santa Lockers in condominiums.
The three companies in the latest parcel collection initiative expect the new option to provide a better experience for customers, as they can now collect parcels at their convenience and do not have to be at home to receive the parcels.
The parcel collection move could help address situations in which deliveries are unsuccessful because there is no one at the home delivery addresses to collect the parcels.
"We do encounter a substantial number of failed deliveries, which is disruptive for not only our customers, but sellers and delivery companies as well," said Mr Ray Chou, country head for Ninja Van Singapore, adding that the newly introduced network of self-service collection points provides customers with a hassle-free option.
The move is the latest in the e-commerce industry to make parcel collection more convenient for consumers.
There are also other parcel-holding facilities such as SingPost's POPStations, which use lockers to safely stow the parcels.
As of July this year, there are about 160 POPStation locations in Singapore, which are used to collect, return and ship parcels through SingPost's network. The company's e-commerce logistics hub in Tampines handles about 21,000 packages a day.
