People who buy items from PChome Online’s 24-hour shopping service can now have their purchases delivered to Chunghwa Post’s iPostbox service, the postal company said on Tuesday.
The postal company developed the iPostbox service to meet the goal of “smart government,” Chunghwa Post associate manager Kuo Chun-yang (郭純陽) said, adding that the company aims to grow the number of iPostboxes from a little more than 1,000 to 2,000 by the end of this year.
The iPostboxes are available for use nationwide, including outlying islands and rural townships, Kuo said, adding that the system allows people to send and retrieve mail and packages around the clock without privacy concerns.
Photo: CNA
“We are being very aggressive and ambitious in promoting the use of iPostbox. We have signed a contract with DHL on placing its delivered items in the iPostboxes and are in negotiations for a similar deal with FedEx. All logistics companies, domestic or overseas, are welcome to use this service,” Kuo said.
“We hope that the gradual increase in the number of iPostboxes would transform the nation’s logistics industry,” he said.
The partnership with PChome — the nation’s No. 1 online shopping platform — began on July 2, giving buyers the option of having their purchases delivered to an iPostbox near them, he added.
The usage rate of the iPostbox system is 100 percent, Kuo said, adding that about 800,000 letters and packages have been sent or retrieved through the service.
The number of packages and letters delivered to or picked up at iPostboxes is expected to exceed 1 million this year, he said.
PChome Online chief logistics officer Aaron Cheng (鄭超倫) said that the iPostbox service is a new way for its members to receive their purchases.
Buyers could previously only have them delivered to their residence or a convenience store, but people rarely have the time to wait at home for a delivery, he said.
The number of buyers using the iPostbox service has risen gradually since last month, Cheng said, adding that the number would continue to increase as more iPostboxes are made available.
“We have found that the peak hours for people picking up their deliveries at iPostboxes are from 5pm to 10pm, after they get off of work,” Cheng said. “This shows that there is a demand to pick up deliveries through ‘smart boxes.’”
One of the iPostbox system’s strengths is that it has been deployed in important transportation hubs, such as stations in Taipei’s MRT (metropolitan rail line), he said, adding that it gives buyers the ability to pick up their deliveries on their way to work and when they return home.
To encourage use of the iPostbox system, PChome said that it is waiving shipping fees on orders of at least NT$290.
Previously, purchases had to exceed NT$490 to be eligible for free shipping.
People who buy items from the online shopping platform until Saturday would receive a NT$68 rebate on their next purchase, it said, adding that purchases made between Sunday and Oct. 15 would include a NT$24 discount on the next purchase.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
RSS