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.
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