Cargus has constantly invested in the development of the click & collect service under the Cargus SHIP & GO brand, successively increasing the number of convenient locations of access points, either by purchasing new spaces or through partnerships with local businesses. This is a response to the growing needs of online consumers, who expect deliveries not only to the address but also to nearby places, from where they can conveniently pick up their parcels at any time of the day.
This month, Cargus will place 300 parcel lockers in Bucharest, as the first step of its plan to invest in the out-of-home delivery solution, SHIP & GO, with important benefits for online shops and consumers. They are placed in retail networks, gas stations and also residential – in easy-to-reach locations.
The parcel lockers, an innovative solution fully contactless, will be by far Cargus’ major focus in the next period with an estimated investment of €40 million in the following 2.5 years, in extending the network in other major cities, the entire infrastructure and user experience tools.
The lockers are produced by SwipBox, an international supplier of automated parcel machines (APM) solutions, with a presence in over 60 countries.
“It is mandatory to take a step forward and adapt to the market’s new reality and demand – efficient, easy to use and sustainable way to deliver products. The launch of Cargus’ lockers represents an important milestone in our development strategy – they complete our national out-of-home network and offer an innovative solution to e-commerce businesses, local and international, and their customers. The next years will be a paradigm shift for Cargus and, I believe, for the entire courier market”, says Olivier Van Houtte, CEO of Cargus.
Parcel lockers are the latest in the row of convenient shipping options from Cargus, which until now has included hassle-free courier services and, more recently, PUDOs (pick up, drop off points). Cargus’ move towards parcel lockers is a response to end-user needs and a deep understanding of the market trends.
The lockers Cargus installs are an innovative solution, the only one on the market that can be accessed contactless, using only one click, with the help of the Cargus Mobile app. The lockers work on Bluetooth and are electric energy free – they work on batteries with a life expectancy of up to 10 years.
They will have all the characteristics of this type of solution – open 24/7, will fit a wide range of products (the compartments have different sizes) and allows the shoppers a 2 days pick-up period.
Also, they are an efficient delivery method – lower costs than the door-to-door option and are friendly to the environment due to lower fuel consumption.
With such a large number of SHIP & GO points and lockers, Cargus is developing the most extensive proximity delivery network in Romania (OOH – Out of Home). In the medium term, Cargus aims to reach national coverage, to be present in all large cities, but also in many small ones in Romania, as part of its strategy to bring delivery services closer to the buyer and to support the e-Commerce market.
At the end of this year, Cargus will reach around 3,000 SHIP & GO points (PUDO and lockers), thus covering over 700 localities in Romania. The estimated volume of deliveries for the SHIP & GO network is 40,000 parcels/day, which represents 20 percent of the total number of parcels delivered by Cargus.
In addition, the proximity delivery network has greater flexibility in the program, which makes over 97 percent of the parcels delivered at the PUDO points to be collected by the final recipients. And around 50 percent of the parcels are picked up on the very first day they arrive at SHIP & GO points.
Deliveries can be dynamically managed and redirected to a favourite SHIP & GO point through the Cargus Mobile app – from the individual Cargus account, through the landing page on the site or directly through the courier.
The products frequently delivered through the Cargus network of proximity centres belong to the categories of fashion, beauty, personal care or books, and most packages do not exceed 3 kilograms. Almost half (45 percent) of them are paid in advance.
Currently, the Cargus logistics network has five regional hubs. An important part of the budget invested in the last two years has been dedicated to logistics optimization and bringing the network to high standards of excellence in delivery services.
This year, Cargus opened a new warehouse in the CTPark Bucharest logistic space, in Bucharest-Ilfov. The modern warehouse has around 11,000 sqm and doubles the operating capacity of the one in Măgurele. The new facility will help the courier to prepare for November – December, the peak season in e-commerce sales.
Cargus will continue to invest in the modernization of 16 other logistics centres, as a promise made to online stores and buyers to maintain the high standard of deliveries.
