Deliveries through the iBOX service (i郵箱) this year are expected to jump 33 percent amid an online shopping boom, Chunghwa Post said yesterday.
Since July 2016, the postal company has been installing iBOX units across the nation to take advantage of emerging services made possible by the digital age, Chunghwa Post associate manager Kuo Chun-yang (郭純陽) said.
The company aims to have 2,400 units installed by the end this year and 3,000 installed by the end of next year, he added.
Photo courtesy of Chunghwa Post
With more people motivated to shop online amid the COVID-19 outbreak, there was a significant increase in the amount of express mail and packages handled in the first half of this year, Kuo said.
“Last year, we processed 25 million packages and 12 million pieces of express mail, but from January to last month, the number of packages increased 5 percent from last year, while express mail increased 20 percent,” he said.
This trend has also boosted iBOX use, with mail and packages delivered via the digital devices increasing from 800,000 pieces in 2018 to 1.5 million pieces last year, Kuo said.
The number is expected to reach 2 million pieces by the end of this year — with 1.8 million pieces by the end of this month, he added.
The company plans to further expand iBOX use this year, Kuo said.
“We formed a partnership with PChome Online last year, which allows people to have their purchases delivered via iBOX,” he said. “We hope that we can work out similar deals with Momo.com, the Yahoo Kimo Super Mall and Shopee Taiwan before the end of this year.”
If packages fail to reach people on the first delivery, DHL International and United Parcel Service also deliver to iBOX and notify the recipients which iBOX to go to, Kuo said.
“We are negotiating a similar deal with Taiwan Pelican Express and we hope that more domestic logistics service providers can form partnerships with us as well,” he said.
Picking up a package at a convenience store takes people about five minutes, after waiting in line, giving the cashier their cellphone number, paying and signing, Kuo said.
By contrast, claiming items delivered to iBOX takes less than 30 seconds, because people only need to enter the delivery number, enter the last three digits of their cellphone number and pay with their EasyCard or another electronic payment option, he said.
Most iBOX units so far have been installed in post offices, but some are located at apartment buildings, off-campus student dormitories, libraries, borough warden offices and community activity centers, Chunghwa Post said.
In a special offer until the end of this year, EZPost members are to receive five points for each iBOX delivery, with a free delivery after accumulating 70 points, it added.
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